Demand-Driven Technologies for Sustainable Maize ... - IITA

viiPrefaceThe West and Central Africa Collaborative Maize Research Network(WECAMAN) was formally inaugurated in 1987. The Networkhas served as an effective mechanism for all stakeholders in maizeproduction and productivity to tackle the regional constraints. Theseinclude national and international scientists, extension workers, farmers,seed technologists, industrialists and policymakers. WECAMAN’sapproach to maize research and development has been unique.National research programs that are stronger than others in specifi csubject-matter areas are identifi ed and designated Lead Centers (LCs).Constraints to maize production are identifi ed in a participatory mannerby all stakeholders. An Ad-hoc Research Committee screens proposalsand allocates funds to the LCs for research projects to address theconstraints. Technologies emanating from the research conducted inthe LCs are made available to other member countries through onfarmtests and demonstrations.Using this approach, scientists from WECAMAN member countriessoon identifi ed the technologies in high demand by maize farmers intheir countries. For example, farmers in the northern fringes of thenorthern Guinea and Sudan savannas could not grow maize becauseearly and extra-early varieties that would mature in the relatively shortrainy season were not available. In addition, at about the time farmersin these areas are planting the new maize crop in June–July, most foodreserves are depleted, leading to a period of low food supply, referredto as the soudre or hunger gap. WECAMAN scientists have developedearly and extra-early maize varieties that have solved this problem andopened new frontiers for maize production. The early varieties arealso planted by farmers in the forest zones, especially in peri-urbanareas, to provide green maize before the main crop matures. With theavailability of these varieties, green maize is now produced throughoutthe year in most countries in West and Central Africa (WCA), usinghydromorphic soils or irrigation during the dry season.Recurrent drought has been a major problem in the savannas aswell as some parts of the forest zone. In addition to earliness andextra-earliness, which are drought-escaping mechanisms, WECAMANscientists have developed drought tolerant varieties, especially for thesavannas but also for the second season in the forest zone.Farmers in the Guinea savanna urgently needed Striga tolerantvarieties to combat the infestation by the parasitic weed that hadcompelled them to abandon their farms. The weed is particularlydiffi cult to control because it attaches itself to the roots of the hostplant and causes a lot of damage before it emerges from the soil.