Ongoing research
Our current set of research activities build on our previous research and aims to combine three elements: 1) a continuous tracing of local maize varieties, 2) working with Youth Groups while 3) conducting field experiments. The latter also feeds our plans for community outreach. With our approach we aim to kill several birds with one stone: we produce food for the local market, local maize seed to plant for the next season for several families, provide inputs for a community seed bank and the young people have an alternative to independently generating their own income through farming. Next to growing different maize varieties to find out which ones do well under local conditions., we also plan at a later stage to try other crops, such as bell-peppers and onions.
1. Tracing of local maize varieties
The following table contains the varieties that are and were grown in Luoland from the first day maize arrived though various arrangements. Over the years we managed to trace and describe about 20 local maize varieties in Luoland and a similar number of modern or hybrid varieties. We continue to trace new local varieties that are planted and saved in the region. We also keep track of the new hybrid maize varieties that are introduced through projects and programme efforts of the State’s rural extension services and NGO’s like One Acre Fund. Moreover we monitor regularly with the Agrovets the kidn f varieties they sell or recommend if they are asked for a recommendation.
The survey we did in 2018-2019 not only confirmed that many local and hybrid varieties were grown and often combined. We also learned that some of the local varieties that were popular at the start of our investigations in 1995/1996 were less mentioned by respondents. Oking and Rachich for instance were hardly recorded once in the survey. We wonder why this is so. Is this because of the sampling? Or have these two and perhaps others become less popular? Did they disappear? These are intriguing questions to pursue the coming years to come.
2. Field experiments
There is surprisingly little data available that compares the various traits of local and hybrid maize varieties. It is rather claimed that hybrid maize is superior in terms of yield capacity, a good income and business model, and provided food security. This claim is not well supported by analysis and data. We decided to embark on a series of experiments comparing the planting of local maize that are favoured by people around the fields we hire for this purpose with the hybrid varieties that are recommended by foreign donors, MVP and OAF. We grow these together with the GENO Youth Group in Sauri. We have in interest not just in yield data but also in germination, disease pressure, maturity. Our entry point is growing maize under the locally predominant conditions of labour availability, weeds, soil fertility, rainfall and availability of cash. This also implies that we do not apply fertilizer but local sources such as boma manure and compost.
The result of the field trials is reported on in other pages on the website.
3. Youth groups
Young people in Africa often lack the resources to farm. Many aspire to farm, but if you don’t have land, it becomes difficult. With a number of young people united in a Youth Group called GENO in Sauri, we started an experiment to jointly produce maize using local resources. We plant local varieties and those that are recommended by foreign donors. No major investments are required except purchasing the seed and other inputs that we cannot multiply ourselves. We rent the land locally and buy seed and fertilizer if necessary. The GENO Youth Group bring in their own labour for planting, weeding and harvesting. We are working with a budget of € 150 for half a hectare (see figure above). About two thirds (€ 90) of this is the young people’s own contribution. In addition to food for the local market, the maize is also grown to produce seed for the following season. The Youth Group is in this way responding to the widely formulated demand for locally produced good quality seed. The proceeds of the experiment are used to rent a piece of land and buy fertilizers for the next season. After each season, the working method and the harvest are thoroughly discussed with the young people in order to learn from the experiences gained and to plan further actions.
Our findings so far have been fairly positive, and we are now looking for ways to extend this approach to other villages in the region. Working with young people, renting land, and primarily using local resources, have not yet been applied in the region by local organizations and the agricultural extension service. Large funding organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are overshooting their mark by spending large sums of money to promote the use of modern seed from Monsanto-Bayer or other seed companies and fertilizers. Our long-term research in the villages since 1996 has shown that this only works to a limited extent and only for a small group. Projects that are set up on the basis of this philosophy hardly function or only partially function and do not have a long life as the MVP has learned.
Local Seeds in Africa 