With drought tolerant maize varieties becoming available, will farmers in sub-Saharan Africa simply grow maize and no other crops?
We expect rather the opposite to happen and the maize area to reduce. Due to the uncertainty of drought, many farmers in sub-Saharan Africa grow maize in a larger area than needed for home consumption in an average year. They want to be food secure even when drought strikes. As a result, they have little land and labor left to grow other crops such as legumes or cash crops. With a drought tolerant maize variety, farmers are more likely to be food secure, can allocate less land to maize and invest in other crops to the benefit of a more balanced diet, higher incomes and improved soil fertility.
