ABSTRACT
Maize has a unique strategic importance in the food security and socio-economic stability of the region. It is also the dominant driver in support of agriculture as a whole as it provides the volume to make services necessary for efficient grain trade and other agro industries (BMI USDA, 2012). Maize is mostly grown under rain-fed conditions by smallholder farmers (Smale, 1995; Kassie et al., 2012). Smallholder farmers cultivate 1-3 ha of land using hand hoe and animal draft power (Thierfelder et al., 2015b). The crop is mono-cropped (about 30%) and the rest is intercropped with legumes (70%) – mostly pigeon peas, cowpeas and groundnuts. For smallholders, the ability to produce sufficient amounts of maize is core to family food and income security: it determines whether children attend school, enables families to take care of their basic needs and to develop assets as a reserve for harsher times (Eicher, 1995). Despite being one of the most important crops in the region, yields remain low 1.5-2 t ha−1 compared to the United States and other regions (Shiferaw et al., 2011; Ray et al., 2013).
