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Articles on Maize
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Producers in Zambia should be getting more for their crops, and buyers in East Africa should be paying less, alleviating food price spikes.
Known as ting or amazimba, indigenous sorghum is resilient and rich in cultural and health benefits – yet crops are declining.
If small-scale farmers can’t afford to grow certified seeds – or can’t find them – food shortages would follow.
Rising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may be a boon for maize crops in tropical growing regions like those found in much of Africa.
Changes in maize production could create complications for Kenya, sub-Saharan Africa’s major importer, because of its policy on genetically modified maize.
Wheat accounts for about 20% of human calorie consumption, and Russia and Ukraine are both major exporters. The war could hit household food supplies in countries as far apart as Egypt and Indonesia.
A historian argues for conservation strategies that embrace creativity and diverse farming methods.
Small and medium-scale farmers and agri-businesses in Southern and Eastern Africa, which are at the heart of inclusive food value chains, are not receiving fair prices for their produce.
Government support for farmers, higher rainfall and grain imports have helped sub-Saharan Africa stave off food insecurity, but the region isn’t out of the woods yet.
For decades Somalia has been in a near-constant state of food insecurity. This is due to a combination of stagnant crop production, a rapidly increasing population and political unrest.
Large-scale droughts can have cascading impacts on food security. They can reduce yield, increase food prices, trigger changes in consumption and lead to unstable supply.
The ex-combatants’ food memories show how they continue trying to make sense of both their past and present experiences of violence.
Low productivity is one of the biggest challenges facing Uganda’s maize industry. But smallholder farmers still won’t adopt improved seed.
Most of the maize consumed in Kenya is never even tested for aflatoxin.
As climate change alters temperature and rainfall patterns, yields of some crops are increasing while others decline. The net result: less food, especially where it’s most needed.
Many of the crop plants that feed us waste 20 percent of their energy, especially in hot weather. Plant geneticists prove that capturing this energy could boost crop yields by up to 40 percent.
South Africa urgently needs to rethink its existing agricultural model.
Africa’s declaration to boost agriculture on the continent has seem some progress but a lot still needs to be done.
Maize production in Zimbabwe in 2017 is at its highest for decades.
Top contributors
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Professor of Economics and Lead Researcher, Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development, UJ, University of Johannesburg
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Senior Fellow, Department of Agricultural Economics, Stellenbosch University
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Economist at Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development, University of Johannesburg
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Chair professor, The University of Queensland
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Senior Scientist, University of Minnesota
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Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, Imperial College London
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Head: Postdoctoral Research Support, Stellenbosch University
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Chair of OWSD SA National Chapter and Emeritus Professor in Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town
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Associate Professor in History of Modern Science and Technology, University of Cambridge
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Lecturer in Microbiology, University of KwaZulu-Natal
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Lecturer: Climate Change & Food Security, University of Leeds
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Research Fellow, University of Leeds
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Associate Professor Plant Science, Section: Plant Pathology, University of Pretoria
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PhD student in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Pretoria
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Manager: Veterinary Services and Research, Agricultural Research Council
