This paper examines two questions: (1) what were the most important factors that led to differential rates of adoption of maize technology by farmers in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi from 1910 to 1995? and (2) what do these experiences suggest about strategic investments in institutions and...

This paper explores how Zambia's policy and organizational environment has shaped the development, spread, and more recently, the disadoption of maize technology. It also traces the political motivations that drove the establishment of the policy and organizational framework supporting maize...

Michigan State University (MSU) is currently assessing the impact of agricultural research on various commodities in seven African countries: Cameroon (maize, cowpea, sorghum), Kenya (maize, wheat), Malawi (maize), Mali (maize), Niger (sorghum, cowpea, millet), Uganda (oilseeds), and Zambia...

In 1993, the Sasakawa/Global 2000 Program (SG) and the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) began a joint program to demonstrate that substantial productivity increases could be achieved when farmers were given appropriate extension messages and agricultural inputs were delivered on time at reasonable...

This paper presents a financial and risk analysis of improved versus traditional maize production technology in Ethiopia, based on yields simulated with the CERES-Maize crop growth model (Schulthess and Ward, 2000). The purpose is to analyze the potential performance of the SG2000/Ministry of...

This paper examines two questions: (1) what were the most important factors that led to differential rates of adoption of maize technology by farmers in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi from 1910 to 1995? and (2) what do these experiences suggest about strategic investments in institutions and...

Critics argue that high external input technologies are too costly for African farmers, and that pilot programs to promote them are economically unsustainable. This paper assesses Sasakawa-Global 2000 programs in Ethiopia and Mozambique; budgets, yield models and subsector analysis help explain...