TITLE OF PROJECT: DEPLOYMENT OF DROUGHT TOLERANT AND ENDOSPERM QUALITY MAIZE TECHNOLOGY IN THE DERIVED AND SOUTHERN SAVANNA AGRO- ECOLOGIES OF NIGERIA

RESEARCH THEME: MITIGATING THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH SUSTAINABLE MAIZE (ZEA MAYS L) PRODUCTION AND VALUE ADDITION IN DERIVED AND SOUTHERN GUINEA SAVANNA AGRO-ECOLOGIES OF NIGERIA

Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.

Climate Change! the most serious environmental threat in planet earth badly affects the rural people in Nigeria the affected rural population produce 70% of Nigeria’s food has negative impact on agricultural productivity.

Maize serves as cheap source of food (in many forms) for more than 80% of Nigerians and as baby weaning diet especially among resource poor families in the predominantly rural communities in the country.

Maize production in Nigeria had been constrained by biotic (stem borer, striga, downy mildew, streak, etc.) and abiotic (moisture stress, low nitrogen) stress factors as well as poor adaptation to different agro- ecologies.

The biotic or abiotic stress factors either individually or collectively have reduced maize grain yields by between 30 and 70% depending on the stress factor. Improved maize varieties have now been developed.

The global temperature rise now affects climatic variables. Rainfall pattern (distribution and amount) is mostly varied. This causes water scarcity.

NiMet Weather Forecast 2013 Revealed pronounced cessation of rainfall (23-33 days instead of 7-14 days). In Niger, Kwara and some parts of south West states, cessation was 43 days! 70% of maize fields in Niger and Kwara had drought stress.

NiMet Weather Forecast 2014 Predicts 1.shorter length of rainy season for most parts of the country in Early cessation in parts of the north Central and south Western states.

NiMet recommends Cultivation of Drought Tolerant crops

Derived and southern Guinea Savanna: In the past: Had bimodal rainfall pattern Maize cultivation: 2 times in a year At present: Unsteady weather – early false start, mid-season break and early cessation

There is need to promote the adoption of improved maize technologies particularly, Drought Tolerant (DT) varieties the seeds of which have been fortified with high Quality Protein (i.e. QPM) among the resource-poor farmers in the rural communities of the derived and southern guinea savanna (SGS) agro-ecologies of Nigeria.

OBJECTIVES Broad Objective: To enhance mitigation of climate change effect through sustainable production of improved maize varieties that are adapted to different maize producing agro- ecologies in the derived and southern guinea savanna agro-ecologies of Nigeria.

Specific Objectives: To evaluate the impact of climate change on maize production in derived and southern guinea savannas of Nigeria; To promote the adoption of Drought Tolerant Quality Protein Maize (DT-QPM) varieties as mitigation technologies among the resource limited farmers in the drought-prone ecologies of the derived and southern guinea savannas of Nigeria; To mitigate the effects of climate change by more than 75% and also engage over 35% of abandoned farm land due to stress induced by moisture deficit in the maize growing ecologies of the derived and southern guinea savannas of Nigeria; To formulate adaptation strategies to cope with drought stress in the target ecologies;

To improve the nutritional status of the resource-limited farmers and households in the derived and southern guinea savannas of Nigeria; To identify and train farmers on the methods of production of improved seeds of adopted maize varieties in the respective communities of the derived and southern guinea savannas of Nigeria; To ensure a rapid diffusion of seeds of improved maize varieties and disseminate seed production technologies among farmers to enhance regular distribution of seed at an affordable price to resource limited farmers in the ecologies and To determine the impact of the mitigating technologies on the maize production and livelihood of resource limited farmers in the ecologies.

GAPS TO ADDRESS The project will (1) replace the local variety of maize with newly developed drought tolerant high quality protein maize (2) put to profitable use the drought affected and abandoned farmlands and (3) reverse on a significant scale the adverse effect of climate change on maize productivity and (4) improve the livelihood (nutrition and socio-economy) of the farmers.

BRIEF OF PROPOSED METHOD Deployment of the DT-QPM maize technology in the drought- prone ecologies of the derived and SGS spanning four states of Niger, Kwara, Oyo and Ogun states, will be achieved through: demonstration of agronomic and yield potentials of the improved maize varieties (i.e. DT-QPM) on farmers’ fields; value addition through training of the farmers’ households on improved processing and preservation methods to sustain production; and maize by-products utilization. Community Based Seed (CBS) Production of adopted improved maize technologies (i.e. DT-QPM) with identified proven farmers and Establishment of farmer field schools (FFS) for the training of the identified farmers in the art of using a combination of climate mitigation approaches to maize production.

TARGET BENEFICIARIES OF THE PROJECT the resource-limited farmers in the drought-prone ecologies of the derived and SGS comprising of Kwara, Niger, and the northern fringes of Oyo and Ogun states. The communities are predominantly peasant farmers who have not benefitted from previous improved maize technology promotion activities.

Thank you.