Maize Production To Drop 40% By 2050 – World Bank

Maize production in Sub-Saharan Africa will drop by about 40 percent by 2050, a recent forecast by the World Bank indicates.

According to the global lender, the drop will be on the back of low mechanization in the continent and is likely to affect the continent’s food security given that maize is one of the staple foods in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“While agricultural productivity in Africa has picked up in recent years, it still lags behind other regions, and currently, one in four people in sub-Saharan Africa is chronically undernourished. In the coming decades, Africa’s food system will be further strained by a population that is projected to rise by 1.3 billion by 2050.

And the food security challenge will only grow as climate change intensifies, threatening crop and livestock production. If no adaptation occurs, production of maize—which is one of Africa’s staple crops—could decline by up to 40 percent by 2050,’’ said Simeon Ehui Director, of Food and Agriculture, World Bank.

World bank has called upon countries to intensify production on agricultural land sustainably without harming the environment, and in turn, fast-tracking farm mechanization while integrating the latest technology. The lender observes that the use of technology such as satellites that provide accurate climate data would play a critical role in boosting the continent’s agricultural production which has been on a downward spree mainly due to bad weather.

In Kenya, for instance, data from Statista indicate that maize production declined from 44 million bags in 2019 to 42.1 million bags in 2020. The 4.3 percent drop was primarily attributed to unfavorable weather conditions which affected planting.

Low local maize production pushed Kenya to heavily rely on imports to bridge the deficit. Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows the country imported 5.7 million (90-kg) bags of maize in the nine months to September 2022 compared to the 2.3 Million bags imported in a corresponding period in 2021. This is the highest maize import since 2017.

According to the World Bank, the adoption of innovative technologies and practices by farmers is the key driver for increasing agricultural productivity and rising incomes. This will enable farmers to raise yields, manage inputs more efficiently, adopt new crops and production systems, improve the quality of their products, conserve natural resources, and adapt to climate challenges.

“Boosting productivity in the agriculture sector can lead to more and better jobs while enabling more people to move off-farm to cities to pursue other opportunities. This requires comprehensive reform of domestic agricultural innovation systems, more effective public spending, and the cultivation of inclusive agricultural value chains with an increased role for the private sector,” said World Bank Group Vice President for Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions, Ceyla Pazarbasioglu.

The lender has committed to incorporating precision technology into its agriculture projects around the continent. In Kenya for instance, the lender is deploying big data from remote sensing and GIS-enabled technologies to support the implementation of agro-weather analytics that enable accurate weather monitoring. This data will enable smallholder farmers to know how and when to apply inputs for optimal results.

Related Content: Maize Prices Surge On High Demand, Even With Imports