ABSTRACT
Maize is an important crop within Mexico and also worldwide. Of the 140 million hectares of maize grown globally, approximately 96 million hectares are in the developing world, where it is grown under a variety of agro-ecological conditions, ranging from favourable to marginal. In contrast to the crops discussed in other chapters in this book, maize is one of the world’s most important internationally traded agricultural commodities. Maize is grown both by small-scale subsistence farmers (as is the case in many parts of Central and South America) and large-scale surplus-producing farmers (such as those in the US Midwest). Current projections in global cereal demand suggest that by 2020, demand for maize in developing countries will surpass that for wheat and rice, due largely to growth in demand for maize as livestock feed and also for ethanol (Rosegrant et al, 2006).
