Maize provides at least 30% of calories for over 4.5 billion people in developing countries, yet recurrent crises and constraints threaten global food security. The MAIZE Research Program is a CGIAR alliance of over 300 institutions aiming to sustainably intensify maize farming systems to enhance farmer incomes and livelihoods. Its vision is to increase productivity by 7% by 2020 and 33% by 2030, benefiting 40 million farmers by 2020 and 175 million by 2030, and meeting additional demand from 135 million consumers by 2020 and 600 million by 2030. MAIZE addresses issues through nine strategic initiatives and has a budget of $97.8 million annually from CGIAR and bilateral donors.

1. DRAFT
Breakout Session P1.1 National Food Security – Speaker Brief
MAIZE and its importance for global food security and sustainable intensification
Dave Watson (CGIAR CRP3.2, MAIZE)
Context – the problems being addressed
Together with rice and wheat, maize provides at least 30 percent of the food calories of more than 4.5
billion people in 94 developing countries. They include 900 million consumers with incomes of less
than US$ 2 per day for whom maize is the preferred staple. Maize is the basis for food security in
some of the world’s poorest regions in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Recurrent food price crises—combined with the global financial meltdown, volatile energy prices,
natural resource depletion and climate change—threaten the livelihoods and food security of millions
of poor people.
Production of maize, especially in the tropical regions, is affected by a number of constraints,
including an array of abiotic and biotic stresses, poor soil fertility, lack of access to key inputs
(especially quality seed and fertilizers), low levels of mechanization and poor post-harvest
management. The result: maize yields in many of the sub-Saharan African countries, where maize is
the most important staple food, are often extremely low, averaging approximately 1.5 tonnes per
hectare—about 20 percent of the average yield in developed countries — and yields in several Asian
countries are still below 3 tonnes per hectare.
Demand for maize in the developing world is expected to double by 2050. By 2025, maize is expected
to have become the crop with the greatest production globally and in the developing world. But
harvests at current levels of productivity growth will still fall short of demand and millions of farm
families will remain in poverty. Unless vigorous measures are taken, the outcome will be less
affordable food for millions of poor maize consumers, continuing poverty and childhood malnutrition,
deforestation, soil degradation, reduced biodiversity, and accelerated depletion of water and fertilizer
reserves.
Current activities presented and discussed in the session
The MAIZE Research Program (CRP) is a CGIAR global alliance bringing together CIMMYT, IITA
and more than 300 institutions (NARES, advanced research institutions, NGOs, CBOs etc.). It aims at
ensuring that public-funded international agricultural research helps to sustainably intensify maize-
based farming systems, making them more resilient to climate change; while significantly enhancing
farmers’ income and livelihood opportunities without using more land and as fertilizer, water, and
labour costs rise.
The first target group for MAIZE contains smallholders who live in stress-prone environments and
who have poor market access (typically both factors go together). This group includes an estimated
640 million poor people who live on US$ 2 per day or less, 275 million are maize-dependent and 72
million of those are malnourished children. The second target group comprises market-oriented
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2. smallholders in more favourable production areas and with great potential to supply markets but who
lack access to appropriate technology. This group includes 470 million poor, of whom 367 million are
maize-dependent and among whom at least 49 million are malnourished children. The third target
group includes poor maize consumers and governments in low and middle income countries affected
by fluctuations in maize price.
Intended outcomes
The vision of success of MAIZE is to increase the productivity of the target groups by seven percent
by 2020 and 33 percent by 2030, adding an annual value of US$ 2.0 billion by 2020 and 8.8 billion by
2030. It will reach 40 million smallholder farm family members by 2020 and 175 million by 2030 and
provide enough maize to meet the annual food demand of an additional 135 million consumers by
2020 and 600 million by 2030.1
Commitments to collective actions in 2012-2014 (national, regional or international)
i. With existing resources
With a targeted annual budget rising to USD 97.8 million―to which the CGIAR currently contributes
approximately 19 percent of the funding through unrestricted support, and bilateral CGIAR and non-
CGIAR donors contribute approximately 53 percent of the funding through over 100 individually
designed projects. MAIZE is addressing the complex issues related to sustainable intensification of
maize-based farming systems in the developing world through nine interrelated strategic initiatives,
each with well-defined deliverables.
ii. With additional support
iii. With specific large scale programme investment
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These calculations do not include impacts from pre-MAIZE research.
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