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Regional Collaboration with Impact: SADC Regional Maize Scientists Working with Farmers for a Better Future

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The planting of more appropriate maize varieties by smallholder farmers may result in yield increases of 25% and more, thus making a considerable difference to the livelihood and food security of these farmers and contributing to a sustainable livelihood.

Many smallholder farmers in southern Africa have little knowledge about the different characteristics of various maize varieties available on the market. In many instances, they resort to those that they know, which are often rather old varieties, or they choose those with the lowest seed price. This effectively excludes less informed and poorer farmers from accessing newer and better maize varieties. The advantage of new varieties is that they have been selected for a higher yield and other value-adding traits such as drought tolerance or disease resistance. Even if information about new varieties is available, many farmers cannot access the seed because it is not available in their shop.

These were some of the issues discussed at the Annual Maize Improvement Meeting in Polokwane last week (15-19 September, 2003) where Mr. K.C.M. Mannya from the Department of Agriculture of the Limpopo Province welcomed over sixty maize scientists from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to discuss strategies that result in improved availability of stress tolerant maize varieties to farmers in SADC. The meeting was organized by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and sponsored by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Rockefeller Foundation.

Highlights at the meeting included reports from public and private maize breeding programs in various SADC countries.  Over the past few years, many of them have developed new maize varieties with improved tolerance to drought and low soil fertility, and improved yields and disease resistance. The varieties were evaluated in common trials, often in participation with extension, NGO’s and farming communities, and conclusions drawn on which are the most appropriate for maize farmers in various SADC countries. As a result, several new maize varieties are now becoming available on the market.

A field visit to the Tshiombo Irrigation Scheme and Madzivhandila College stimulated the discussions at the meeting. In collaboration with the Department of Agriculture of the Limpopo Province and BASED, a German-funded project, farmers of the Tshiombo Irrigation Scheme have participated in selecting some of the new maize varieties from the SADC collaboration.  “We grew five new varieties together with our traditional variety and compared yield and earliness. We also invited our elders to try the new varieties as porridge and roasted, and they told us which one was the best. So, we came to choose ZM521. It is earlier than our traditional variety, higher yielding, drought tolerant, less attacked by weevils and gives a very good and sweet porridge” recounts Ms Rosina Lebago, a farmer from the Scheme. “The other advantage is that ZM521 is an open-pollinated variety and seed can easily be produced. Our extension staff and SANSOR taught us how to produce certified seed. Now, we sell our own certified ZM521 seed to our neighbors. It is a good business and we could always sell more than what we produce!”

The participants then proceeded to the Madzivhandila College. To produce certified seed, one needs to use special seed, called “basic seed”. “It’s like the ‘mother of all seed’, very pure and specially produced” explains Mr. Edwin Maudu from the College. “The Madzivhandila College has received support from the SADC regional project to build a coldroom for storing such seed. Funds from the College and BASED contributed to establishing processing facilities. The College is now providing the Tshiombo community with basic seed and farmers come and clean, treat and package their seed at the College.”

The field visit inspired meeting participants to discuss how to better involve farmers in variety selection, disseminate information and scale up maize seed production in other SADC countries. The meeting also endorsed and contributed to defining how new maize varieties could reach farmers in a shorter time period, by harmonizing variety release requirements across the entire SADC region. “Currently it may take ten years and more until a new maize variety is available to farmers in all SADC countries” explains Peter Setimela from CIMMYT.  ”A regional maize variety release system could make new maize varieties available in only two years.” The meeting therefore defined requirements for releasing new maize varieties at the SADC regional level. It is planned that these guidelines will be forwarded to the SADC-council of ministers through the SADC Seed Security Network later this year.

While most of the meeting participants departed on Thursday, one member per SADC-country and the regional staff from CIMMYT stayed behind to commonly decide about activities for the coming year and distribute regional funds available from SDC, the Rockefeller Foundation, USAID and the Nippon Foundation.

Dr. Alex Mc Donald from the Agricultural Research Council representing South Africa explained: “A lot has improved due to this regional collaboration. For example we made a huge impact on the seed production of open-pollinated maize in SADC. Previously frowned upon by the private sector, we now have many private companies and farming communities producing seed of our new drought tolerant open-pollinated maize varieties, such as ZM521.”

To prove how tangible results from a regional meeting can be, an information brochure on “Choosing the Right Open-Pollinated Maize Variety” was distributed at the meeting to better inform extension, NGO-staff and farmers about the different characteristics of various maize varieties.