This archive report was first published on 27 November 2019.
Kenya's maize production has been a subject of concern, with the country's average yield of 1.5 tonnes per hectare lagging behind other African producers. However, a report by The African Seed Access Index (TASAI) suggests that improved seeds could be the key to boosting Kenya's maize yields.
According to the report, Egypt leads the continent in maize production with a yield of 7.7 tonnes per hectare, followed by South Africa with 6.4 tonnes per hectare, and Ethiopia with 3.7 tonnes per hectare. Uganda, which has been exporting maize to Kenya, produces an average of 2.5 tonnes per hectare, while Malawi produces 2.0 tonnes per hectare.
On the other hand, some African countries with poor yields include Mozambique with 0.9 tonnes per hectare, Rwanda (1.2) and Tanzania (1.5). The report attributes the low yields to the use of traditional seeds that are susceptible to pests and diseases.
"Improved seeds are resistant to pests and diseases. They adapt well to climate change and have improved nutritional value besides longer shelf life," said Mainza Mugoya, a TASAI official.
Records show that by 2017, Kenya had released about 98 varieties of maize seeds in a bid to respond to climate change. However, the adoption of these improved seeds has been slow among smallholder farmers due to quality, affordability, accessibility, and competitive seed systems serving smallholder farmers.
Mr. Mugoya noted that the low number of breeders in most African countries was also to blame. For instance, the number of breeders in Kenya for priority food crops is 34 in comparison to Egypt which has 74 and South Africa 54 and Tanzania 46.
Kenya has a vibrant seed industry with about 20 companies operating in the country. However, most breeders in Kenya are employed in public research institutions such as the Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Organization (Kalro).
"Breeding is critical as it responds to farming challenges, climate change, low yields, and diseases among other challenges," said Mr. Mugoya during the recent Kenya Science Journalists Congress in Mombasa.
The congress, organized by the Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (Mesha), was attended by science journalists and experts from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Malawi.
Kenya was still recording a low maize production despite heavy focus on the staple food crop. Other key food crops such as cow pea, sorghum, beans, soya beans, and pigeon peas have also recorded under-investment from the national government.
By the end of 2017, a total of 314 maize varieties were released in Kenya with 43,954 tonnes sold to farmers. In comparison, sorghum had 30 varieties, beans 31, and cowpeas 10 varieties released.
"Formal seed sector is moving towards liberalisation and we need to adopt a seed systems approach to address challenges in the African seed sector," concluded Mr. Mugoya.
