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Facing food crisis in the continent, senior policy makers from African countries gathered here to discuss ways to solve the issue with call for reforms to be introduced in the maize seed sector, part of African efforts to raise agricultural production to feed its people.

Senior policy makers from 13 sub-Saharan Africa countries meeting in Nairobi to deliberate ways to improve farmers’ access to new maize seed including an increasing number of forthcoming drought tolerant maize varieties said at issue are policies that constrain the production, release and marketing of improved seed varieties.

Citing a study undertaken in 14 African countries, the policy experts said maize seed production in sub-Saharan Africa last year, similar to previous years, fell short of farmers’ demand.

The region was only able to meet 28 percent of its farmers’ effective demand for improved maize seed, according to the International Maize and Wheat Research Center (CIMMYT).

“Only a one third of the maize area in sub-Saharan Africa is under improved variety seed,” said Dr. Wilfred Mwangi, leader of a multi-partner effort to develop and promote drought tolerant maize.

“In a time when we are challenged to raise national maize production in the face of climate change, it underscores the need for new policies that support efficient seed production, processing, and marketing.”

Various reports from the international organizations, including the United Nations, have showed that climate change has significant effects on food security in Africa. Floods and droughts triggered by climate change severely reduced agricultural production, which has contributed to the ongoing food crisis in the continent.

To diversify maize seeds that are drought tolerant is widely seen here as part of the solution to ease the food crisis in the continent.

The experts said a wide range of reasons contribute to this situation, including farmers’ demand and seed production capacity of the maize seed sector.

In several instances, restrictive national policies and trade regulations prohibit effective production and marketing of improved seed varieties and this continues to undermine food security and farm incomes in Africa.

The regional policy workshop is being organized by the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) Project, which is jointly undertaken by CIMMYT, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and a wide range of public and private sector institutions in sub-Saharan Africa.

“With all signs pointing to the need for increased food productivity through use of improved new high-yielding varieties and other agricultural inputs, increasing farmer awareness of new varieties through extension messages, provision of credit and more effective grain markets will also contribute to increasing farmers’ adoption of new varieties,” said Dr. Diakalia Sanogo, an economist at IITA.

The experts are discussing the 2007 study that gathered views of 156 representatives of seed companies, national agricultural research institutes, and non-governmental organizations in Angola, Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Stronger national seed laws and regulations are in order, according to Dr. Augustine Langyintuo, the economist at CIMMYT who led the 2007 seed sector study that, among other things, profiled maize seed producers and the varieties marketed in the region, and identified the factors constraining efficient seed production and distribution.

“Seed trade should be liberalized and, at the same time, seed quality better monitored,” he says. “This and measures to avoid undue delays in variety release will have huge pay-offs.”

“Regional harmonization of seed laws should also be expedited, so that seed released in one country but also useful in similar agro-ecologies of neighboring countries can be shared,” says Langyintuo.

“Providing more effective policy support to a growing seed sector will directly benefit the productivity and incomes of small-scale farmers and result in more and more affordable food for consumers - significant in the current global food crisis,” says Dr. Marianne Banziger, Director of CIMMYT’s Global Maize Program.

The food crisis, also caused by the skyrocketing food prices, have triggered demonstrations and protests in some of the African countries early this year.

As the world is grappling with the food crisis, African countries have tried to work out appropriate policies to fight it, including boosting investment in the agricultural sector and raising agricultural productivity for small-scale farmers.

Aid agencies have warned recently that more than 14 million people across east Africa are facing a humanitarian disaster because of a “lethal mix” of soaring food prices, drought and conflict.