Maize production
Maize is the most important cereal crop in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a staple food for an estimated 50% of the population. It is an important source of carbohydrate, protein, iron, vitamin B and minerals.
Africans consume maize in a wide variety of ways (porridges, pastes and beer). Green maize, fresh on the cob, is eaten baked, roasted or boiled.
Every part of the maize plant has economic value: the grain, leaves, stalk, tassel, and cob can all be used to produce a large variety of food and non-food products both for humans and animals. In sub-Saharan Africa maize is mostly grown by small-scale farmers, generally for subsistence as part of mixed agricultural systems. The systems often lack inputs such as fertilizer, improved seed, irrigation, and labour.
Maize is also an important livestock feed both as silage and as crop residue, grain and is also used industrially for starch and oil extraction.
Climate conditions, soil and water management
TEMPERATURES
Maize grows
