Grow What Works in Southern Africa
Purpose:
To highlight the critical role seed variety plays in successful farming, especially under the changing conditions of Southern Africa.
Topics:
The risks of choosing poorly adapted or outdated seed varieties
Benefits of improved varieties (e.g., early maturity, drought tolerance, pest resistance)
Real-life examples from Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe showing how improved seed choices have raised yields and incomes
When farmers are equipped with localized variety information, they can choose seed that matches their environmental conditions and market needs—resulting in more resilient, productive farms.
Dowload the following case studies for more detailed information:
1. Impacts of CGIAR Maize Improvement in sub‑Saharan Africa (1995–2015)
This CIMMYT‑led report covers 18 countries, including those in Southern Africa. It quantifies adoption rates of CGIAR‑derived maize varieties and the resulting economic benefits—which reached approximately US $0.66–1.05 billion annually by 2015.
2. Case Study: Accelerating Crop Variety Replacement Rates in Africa (AGRA / CESSA, 2023)
Discusses varietal turnover theory, bottlenecks, and how replacing older varieties with newer genetics improves yield and resilience in Eastern and Southern Africa.
3. Maize varietal replacement in Eastern and Southern Africa: Bottlenecks, Drivers, Strategies
This review explores barriers and opportunities in replacing old maize varieties across the region, with country‑level insights on varietal turnover strategies.
4. Drought‑Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) Project – Mozambique Case Report
CIMMYT / IITA report describing seed testing and adoption during the DTMA initiative, covering Southern Africa, including Mozambique.
5. Drought‑tolerant maize adoption under rainfall stress in Malawi
A panel‑data study analyzing adoption trajectory from 2% in 2006 to 41% by 2015 in Malawi and assessing how drought experiences drive uptake of DT varieties.