CIMMYT - New Seed Initiative for Maize in Southern Africa

• Unité de recherche: DDC
• Numéro de projet: 7F-00404.05
• Titre du projet anglais: CIMMYT - New Seed Initiative for Maize in Southern Africa

Mots-clé (Allemand)

Mais, Trockenheitstoleranz, SADC, Maiszüchtung
Landwirtschaftliche Produktivität und Technologie
Landwirtschaft
Tropenlandwirtschaft
Agronomie
Ernährung
CIMMYT
NSIMA - New Seed Initiative for Maize in Southern Africa

Description succincte (Anglais)

Maize has unique strategic importance for food security and the socio-economic stability of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). This project is a follow-up to the two-phased Southern African Drought and Low Soil Fertility Project (SADLF) project which SDC supported between 1996 and 2004. SADLF was a research project that developed more drought and low soil fertility tolerant maize varieties for the SADC region and strengthened National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) capacity in this area. A recent SDC evaluation acknowledged significant impact of SADLF Phase I and II on food security, poverty reduction, and the development of public-private sector collaboration.

This new project is presented as a maize sector development project. It was developed in a highly consultative manner, and a wide range of stakeholders - from the public, private and NGO sector in ten SADC countries - take great ownership in the project. The project is innovative and conscientious that past activities should not simply been continued but the challenges of the future tackled. It incorporates suggestions by the SDC evaluation and is designed complementary to the SDC-supported SADC Seed Security Network. It also addressed important issues of SOSA such as food security, rural livelihoods and post-harvest storage.

Objectifs du projet (Anglais)

Contribute significantly to improving food security and the livelihoods of resource-poor farm families in the SADC region.
Impact target
Over three million households will benefit from seed of stress-tolerant and more productive maize varieties over the project period; more as time progresses.
General objectives
1. Maize varieties with increased productivity, nutritional value and acceptance under the stress-prone conditions of resource-poor farmers in southern Africa developed and used by smallholder farmers.
2. Increased stakeholders' cooperation in the maize seed sector resulting in a more diverse and more stable seed industry that is responsive to resource-poor farmers' needs.

Résumé des résultats (Abstract) (Anglais)

The expected impact of this project is to raise and stabilize maize production in the whole of SADC with immediate effect on the food and income security of resource poor-farmers. This is done through new maize varieties, but also through a regional testing network and strong links to private sector in order to take stake in the small scale farmer seed needs.

Mise en oeuvre et application (Anglais)

National level: During the first year of the project, NCUs will develop individual logframes for in-country activities, including a timeline for expected impacts and desirable effects. NCUs will submit annual country reports to the Regional Coordination Unit (RCU).
Regional level: Expected impacts and desirable effects at the national level will be compiled regionally. Together with the impact assessment of project outputs (Special Objective 8), this will provide a basis for more objectively monitoring project impacts. CIMMYT will annually provide a narrative and financial report to the donors.