Harnessing University-NARS Partnership to Breed Climate Change Resilient and Nutrient-Rich Maize Varieties for Africa

Maize is the most important cereal crop in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and more than 300 million people depend on it for their food security and livelihood. Its production is constrained by the effects of climate change, most importantly drought, under investment in agricultural research and development (R&D), low capacity for R&D, and low use of inputs such as improved seed and fertilizers. National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in collaboration with Universities have made remarkable progress in increasing maize crop yields during the past century. Re-orienting maize research to produce ‘Smart’ varieties that yield more in a changing climate has been pivotal to achieving success. New maize improvement themes need to be set between NARS and Universities, in a concerted effort with other implementing partners and intensive effort to improve maize varieties for Africa. This will contribute to the well-being of small-scale maize farmers and economic development of countries throughout the SSA region through increased food and income security. Joint efforts will need to be directed towards the identification of new genetic sources of tolerance to stress (drought, diseases, high temperature and low soil nitrogen) and high nutrient content (High lysine and Vitamin A), with broad adaptation and suitable for use as parental material for breeding novel varieties. In this paper, we summarize the advances, constraints, and opportunities for genetic improvement of maize for drought and low N tolerance, disease resistance and enhanced nutritional quality through NARS-University collaboration.