Measuring Maize in South Africa: The Shifting Structure of Production During the Twentieth Century, 1904–2015

Greyling, Jan C.; Pardey, Philip G.

doi:10.1080/03031853.2018.1523017

Cited by 28 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In South Africa, maize is currently the main crop used for food (37.4%), feed (39.8%), exports (17.9%), and industrial purposes (4.8%). It constitutes two-third of the commercial area planted in field crops, with an average annual production of ∼10-12 million tons (Greyling and Pardey, 2019). Maize is the source of about 95% of the local starch produced in South Africa.…”

Section: Cassava As a Potential Industrial Cropmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adoption and Promotion of Resilient Crops for Climate Risk Mitigation and Import Substitution: A Case Analysis of Cassava for South African Agriculture

Amelework

Bairu

Maema³

et al. 2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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Cassava is an important starchy root crop grown globally in tropical and subtropical regions. The ability of cassava to withstand difficult growing conditions and long-term storability underground makes it a resilient crop, contributing to food security. Historically, small-scale farmers have grown cassava as a minor crop in the far north-eastern part of the country. However, there is an initiative to scale up cassava production, with two discrete areas of interest: large-scale production for industrial starch, and expanding its footprint as a food security crop for small-scale farmers, especially in the context of climate change. In this scoping study, production, processing and marketing data for cassava were accessed from the FAO and US Commercial trade databases. Other domestic market and demand analysis case studies were also explored. There is no cassava data available for South Africa. The study indicated that South Africa imports more than 66,000 tons of starch annually, of which 33% is cassava starch, showing the availability of a local market. The potential of cassava for the South African economy is discussed. Significant industrial opportunities exist for the production and use of cassava in South Africa. However, the realization of these opportunities will depend on the reliable supply of good quality cassava roots. However, the lack of a well-established cassava research program, and a lack of an existing value chain for the industrial scale cassava production and processing are barriers to the development of cassava industry in South Africa. As the initial step to the development of a successful cassava industry, high potential germplasm is imported, characterized and bred for local conditions to ensure the sustainable primary production of cassava. Subsequently, industrial value chains will need to be developed as the optimization of the breeding and agronomy of the crop are completed, and yield potentials are quantified in the different regions of the country.

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Section: Cassava As a Potential Industrial Cropmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adoption and Promotion of Resilient Crops for Climate Risk Mitigation and Import Substitution: A Case Analysis of Cassava for South African Agriculture

Amelework

Bairu

Maema³

et al. 2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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“…4 Commercial farmers account for 96% of production with average yields of 4.2 ton/ha under mostly dryland conditions (2015 estimate). 5 In addition, rural communities throughout South Africa are dependent on maize for food security. Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces have a high proportion of households (20%) that are involved in agricultural activities, underpinned by maize smallholder production.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…6 There are many factors contributing to the lower average yields of 1.5 ton/ha from maize smallholder farms. 5 Socioeconomic factors are perhaps the most important, and these factors have an impact on the production constraints for smallholder farmers, which include access to fertilisers and pesticides. 7 Smallholder farmers growing maize for their own consumption often choose low input production practices (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benefits of maize resistance breeding and chemical control against northern leaf blight in smallholder farms in South Africa

et al. 2020

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Maize underpins food security in South Africa. An annual production of more than 10 million tons is a combination of the output of large-scale commercial farms plus an estimated 250 000 ha cultivated by smallholder farmers. Maize leaves are a rich source of nutrients for fungal pathogens. Farmers must limit leaf blighting by fungi to prevent sugars captured by photosynthesis being ‘stolen’ instead of filling the grain. This study aimed to fill the knowledge gap on the prevalence and impact of fungal foliar diseases in local smallholder maize fields. A survey with 1124 plant observations from diverse maize hybrids was conducted over three seasons from 2015 to 2017 in five farming communities in KwaZulu-Natal Province (Hlanganani, Ntabamhlophe, KwaNxamalala) and Eastern Cape Province (Bizana, Tabankulu). Northern leaf blight (NLB), common rust, Phaeosphaeria leaf spot, and grey leaf spot had overall disease incidences of 75%, 77%, 68% and 56%, respectively, indicating high disease pressure in smallholder farming environments. NLB had the highest disease severity (LSD test, p<0.05). A yield trial focused on NLB in KwaZulu-Natal showed that this disease reduced yields in the three most susceptible maize hybrids by 36%, 71% and 72%, respectively. Eighteen other hybrids in this trial did not show significant yield reductions due to NLB, which illustrates the progress made by local maize breeders in disease resistance breeding. This work highlights the risk to smallholder farmers of planting disease-susceptible varieties, and makes recommendations on how to exploit the advances of hybrid maize disease resistance breeding to develop farmer-preferred varieties for smallholder production.

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“…Breitenbach & Fenyes [2] quantified production trends within the commercial maize and wheat industries during the 1985 to 1999 period, including a breakdown of maize production into its output and planted area components for South Africa. A study by Greyling & Pardey [20] highlighted key insights about the South African maize production in terms of commercial and smallholder share contribution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influencing Factors of Maize Production in South Africa: The Case of Mpumalanga, Free State and North West Provinces

Diko

Wang

2020

AJAAR

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Aims: Maize is of great significance in the national food security of South Africa. Maize production levels in South Africa continue to decline, further deteriorating the situation of increased food insecurity, unemployment and increased poverty levels in the face of increasing population. This paper investigated fundamental variables influencing maize yield in the South African major maize producing regions. Study Design: A multi-stage stratified sampling method was employed to select maize producing farmers in the major maize producing provinces, namely Mpumalanga, Free State and North West provinces of South Africa. Furthermore, three districts were selected from which maize farmers were then selected. Methodology: Using linear multiple regression for a sample of 202 maize farmers, maize yield as a dependent variable was regressed against land size, fertilizer usage, labour, herbicides and seeds as independent variables. The paper employed the Cobb-Douglas production function to estimate parameters. The data obtained from the field were subjected to analysis using inferential statistics using SPSS v20. Results: The study showed that fertilizer, labour, and herbicides used in the production of maize in the study area were positively and statistically significant at a 5% confidence interval (P<0.05) with elasticity coefficients of 0.55, 0.47 and 0.198 respectively. The independent variables computed in the model had positive elasticity coefficients indicating a direct positive relationship between the input variables and maize output. The study also revealed that farmers in the study area were applying fewer amounts of fertilizer than the recommended rates per hectare. Conclusion: The study recommends that the South African government should supply inputs to maize farmers at subsidized rates to promote correct application rates and attain higher yields. The promotion of good quality extension services to foster good agricultural practices in the production of maize is also recommended.

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Measuring Maize in South Africa: The Shifting Structure of Production During the Twentieth Century, 1904–2015

Cited by 28 publications

References 20 publications

Adoption and Promotion of Resilient Crops for Climate Risk Mitigation and Import Substitution: A Case Analysis of Cassava for South African Agriculture

Adoption and Promotion of Resilient Crops for Climate Risk Mitigation and Import Substitution: A Case Analysis of Cassava for South African Agriculture

Benefits of maize resistance breeding and chemical control against northern leaf blight in smallholder farms in South Africa

Influencing Factors of Maize Production in South Africa: The Case of Mpumalanga, Free State and North West Provinces

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