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Tropical and Subtropical Maize in Asia, Production Systems, Constraints, and Research Priorities

Roberta V. Gerpacio
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mexico, D.F.: CIMMYT

Prabhu L. Pingal
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mexico, D.F.: CIMMYT, Mexico, D.F.: CIMMYT

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

This book examines future technological and policy prospects for the sustainable intensification of rainfed upland maize production in Asia, and derives R&D priorities for specific maize production environments and markets. Village-level and farmer-group surveys were conducted to characterize upland maize production environments and systems in China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Survey findings, particularly farmer-identified constraints to maize production, complemented with other relevant data, were used in country-level, R&D priority-setting workshops. High on the list of farmer constraints was drought, estimated to affect three production environments that are home to about 48 million rural poor and produce an estimated 16 million tons of maize, and others such as downy mildew, stem borers, soil erosion/landslides, waterlogging, poor agricultural extension/ technology transfer services, and poor access to low-interest credit and markets. Farmers felt that socioeconomic and policy-related constraints impact maize productivity more than technical constraints do. It is important to recognize that technology is not the only key to increasing productivity and bettering the conditions of marginal maize farmers in Asia. There is a growing trend towards commercializing and intensifying maize production that is different from the staple food self-sufficiency paradigm that has been the cornerstone of agricultural policy in most developing countries. Appropriate government policies could help alleviate the adverse consequences of commercialization and promote sustainable intensification of maize production, especially in marginal environments inhabited by resource-poor subsistence farmers.

Keywords: Maize, Agricultural development, Farming systems, Production policies, Environmental factors, Cropping systems, Research projects, Project management, Asia

Location: In Bangladesh

Start Date: 00-00-2000

End Date: 00-00-2002

Program Area: Crop-Soil-Water Management

Commodity: Maize

Objectives:

The study has four specific objectives:

• To develop in-depth knowledge of upland maize-based farming systems, identify constraints to future productivity growth, and anticipate potential environmental consequences likely to result from intensification;

• To conduct country-specific maize technology research, set up development plans for the uplands, and promote their implementation;

• To help IFAD and Asian governments identify priority development projects for the uplands, particularly projects that enhance food security while protecting the environment and reduce poverty by promoting sustainable improvements in maize production practices; and

• To examine and analyze within the context of overall food policies, country-specific macroeconomic and trade policies influencing the maize sector, with the goal of conveying information about key investment opportunities to achieve sustainable and equitable maize productivity growth in the uplands.

Methodology:

Funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and managed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the project was implemented through a multi-country, multi-institution, multi-disciplinary collaborative effort involving China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Selected agriculturists and economists from these seven countries were actively involved in the project. Researchers from CIMMYT, IFPRI, and Stanford University provided conceptual and methodological support. Senior officials working in the National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES) and/or Ministries of Agriculture in these countries strongly supported the project. Two other important activities are implicit to the project. First is strengthening of NARES capacity to conduct rapid rural assessment (RRA) and participatory rural appraisal (PRA) surveys and undertake prioritization and policy research, and instructing NARES researchers on the socioeconomic aspects of maize production. Second is the development and maintenance of a powerful database that incorporates farm-level quantitative and qualitative information plus secondary data from nearly 300 locations across the seven participating countries. Indo-Gangetic Plains (covering Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan; see www.rwc.cgiar.org for details) can be explored for maize in Asia. Within its nutrient management objectives, the Consortium aims to: (a) develop a better understanding of the extent of yield declines, stagnating yields, and/or factor productivity declines in the rice-wheat systems; (b) gain a better understanding of changes in soil biological activity and physical properties in intensive rice-wheat production systems; and (c) develop effective soil nutrient supply assays/tests that would lead to more effective fertilizer recommendations/practices for rice-wheat systems. Between November 2000 and February 2002, a total of 265 locations (villages) in primarily marginal upland regions across seven countries were visited, and detailed maize production and resource use information was collected using RRA/PRA techniques. The dataset generated from these field surveys is the first extensive and comprehensive dataset documenting the wide range of maize-based production systems across Asia. Conducted in collaboration with IFPRI and Stanford University, the policy study component used an open economy framework, examining country- and maize sector-specific macroeconomic and trade policies within the context of overall food policies, and the changing global trade environment. For example, given increasing globalization and trade liberalization, it examined the equity implications of opening the country’s maize sector and the potential effect of macroeconomic policies (e.g., trade, interest rate, labor policies) on maize supply and prices.

Source of Information: Research Paper in Economics, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) 2007, ISBN: 978-970-648-155-9

Article Link (Online Journal): www.cimmyt.org

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Hoping to avoid wasteful competition with the private sector, the public sector in general has begun to concentrate on activities and geographic areas that are unappealing to profit-oriented firms (e.g., genetic resource conservation, pre-breeding, population improvement, OPV development, as well as subsistence production areas and marginal environments), while also continuing to advance their hybrid maize research. National and international public sectors enjoy a strong comparative advantage in training and human resource development, which lower the costs of learning and capacity building for private-sector research and development. The private sector, meanwhile, has emphasized inbreeding, hybrid development, hybrid seed production, marketing, and distribution. It has also recently become the dominant player in genomics and biotechnology. On the heels of transgenic maize, modern stress-tolerant/resistant cultivars from the private sector promise to broaden the range of environmental conditions under which maize can be grown and increase its productivity and stability. Despite this increasing specialization, however, public and private sectors working on maize continue to be linked through various types of collaborative activities. In Asia, these include international germplasm exchange, public-private germplasm transfer, genetic improvement, crop/resource management, and mutual advantages that work towards the advancement of maize cultivars. Hence, public/private sector alliances could promote spillover of research results from high potential to low potential environments and from economically advanced to economically deprived areas. Farmers felt that socioeconomic and policy-related constraints impact maize productivity more than technical constraints do. It is important to recognize that technology is not the only key to increasing productivity and bettering the conditions of marginal maize farmers in Asia. There is a growing trend towards commercializing and intensifying maize production that is different from the staple food self-sufficiency paradigm that has been the cornerstone of agricultural policy in most developing countries. Appropriate government policies could help alleviate the adverse consequences of commercialization and promote sustainable intensification of maize production, especially in marginal environments inhabited by resource-poor subsistence farmers.

Knowledge Management: Report/Proceedings