Original title: Global maize production, consumption and trade: trends and R&D implications
Maize is already the cereal produced in the largest volume, and its production has grown as demand, technology, yields, and the area planted have increased. Much of the world’s maize is used to feed animals, while it is also an important food crop in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. The paper reviews how maize production, use, and trade have changed over the past quarter century. It calls for more research to support food and livelihoods while growing maize sustainably.
A family may grow extra vegetables by planting a bigger garden or getting more food from the same patch. But the best choice depends on what people need to eat and how much time and water they have. In this paper, the garden’s size and harvest stand for maize production, while the family’s needs stand for demand; the review asks how research can help meet those needs without stretching the land’s limits.
Changes in maize production and trade affect farmers, people who depend on maize for food, and livestock systems that use it as feed. The paper argues that research in the Global South should support food and livelihood security while increasing production sustainably.
The abstract describes a review of global production, consumption, and trade trends, but gives no specific methods, country-level findings, or measured effects of particular R&D investments. It does not establish which interventions will best improve food security, livelihoods, or sustainability.
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Global maize production, consumption and trade: trends and R&D implications — Olaf Erenstein, Moti Jaleta, Kai Sonder et al. — Food Security — doi:10.1007/s12571-022-01288-7
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.