Farmers in the Upper East Region are optimistic that newly developed maize varieties could help reduce crop losses from climate stress while improving household nutrition, particularly among vulnerable women and children.
The improved hybrids, developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI), demonstrated encouraging performance despite irregular rainfall, prolonged dry spells and late planting during field trials at Moshie-Daboro in the Bongo District.
The varieties were showcased during a demonstration field day organised by CSIR-SARI in collaboration with the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), through the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation Phase II (TAAT II) Maize Compact.
Five maize hybrids were presented, including two previously released white varieties, CSIR-SARIMAZ 4 and CSIR-SARIMAZ 5, alongside three promising yellow hybrids, LY1409, LY2205 and EPVAH-34.
The yellow varieties are enriched with provitamin A, iron and zinc, nutrients considered important in addressing micronutrient deficiencies, particularly among children, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
The demonstration plots were established in late July 2026 on land traditionally used for groundnut cultivation.
Despite the relatively late planting and unfavourable rainfall conditions, the improved hybrids performed encouragingly compared with other maize varieties cultivated in the community.
The farmers said the varieties had shown resilience to limited rainfall and prolonged dry spells, raising expectations that their adoption could help reduce production risks and strengthen food security in farming communities.
Ms Alayine Grace, a lead farmer at Moshie-Daboro, said the performance of the varieties during the trials had encouraged farmers to embrace them and expand their cultivation once they were officially released.
Ms Abaabagre Halimatu, another farmer, said she was particularly impressed by the nutritional benefits of the yellow maize varieties, expressing hope that they would help address nutritional challenges confronting women in rural communities, particularly during pregnancy and childbirth.
Speaking at the field day, Dr Isaac Kodzo Amegbor, Maize Breeder at CSIR-SARI and TAAT II Maize Compact Lead for Ghana, highlighted the importance of combining improved maize varieties with good agronomic practices and effective post-harvest management.
He said the two released hybrids, CSIR-SARIMAZ 4 and CSIR-SARIMAZ 5, had demonstrated considerable tolerance to fall armyworm infestation, maintaining good crop growth and productivity despite pest pressure in the demonstration fields.
Their performance, he said, highlighted the potential of pest-tolerant maize varieties to reduce production losses and improve the resilience of smallholder farming systems.
The three yellow hybrids, meanwhile, were developed through CSIR-SARI’s biofortification breeding programme to address both agricultural productivity and micronutrient deficiencies.
Dr Desmond Sunday Adogoba, Innovation Scaling Specialist at CSIR-SARI, said the demonstration was intended to expose farmers to improved maize technologies capable of addressing production and nutritional challenges.
He said CSIR-SARIMAZ 4 and CSIR-SARIMAZ 5 had already been released for cultivation because of their high-yielding potential and tolerance to fall armyworm, while the three yellow hybrids offered enhanced nutritional qualities.
Although the demonstration plots experienced late planting, limited rainfall and prolonged dry spells, he said the varieties maintained encouraging growth and grain yield performance compared with other maize varieties cultivated in the community.
Dr Adogoba said the observed performance demonstrated their potential to withstand production constraints, including moisture stress, Striga infestation and fall armyworm damage, which continued to threaten maize productivity across northern Ghana.
Beyond improving yields, he said biofortified maize could provide an affordable approach to addressing micronutrient deficiencies among rural households, many of which struggled to access diverse diets containing essential vitamins and minerals.
He said incorporating provitamin A, iron and zinc into commonly consumed staple foods such as maize could improve dietary quality, particularly among women and children.
The initiative aligns with the objectives of the TAAT II Maize Compact and AATF to accelerate the adoption of climate-smart and nutrition-sensitive agricultural technologies.
The programme also promotes good agronomic practices, appropriate fertiliser application, integrated pest and weed management, and improved post-harvest handling and storage to increase productivity, reduce losses and improve grain quality.
Mr Andrews Atampugre, an Agricultural Extension Officer with the International Development Enterprises, who facilitated the establishment of the demonstration plots, said the exercise provided farmers with an opportunity to compare improved maize hybrids with existing varieties under prevailing production conditions.
He said the improved hybrids had shown encouraging tolerance to Striga and fall armyworm infestation while maintaining good productivity despite the unfavourable rainfall pattern.
He encouraged farmers to adopt improved seed technologies and recommended crop management practices to increase yields and strengthen their livelihoods.
