Maize (Zea mays L.) plays a very important role in human and animal nutrition in Ghana. It is a major source of protein and energy in adult and infant nutrition. However, the normal maize protein is deficient in two essential amino acids, lysine and tryptophan. In Ghana, a thin gruel made from maize is the first major supplementary food fed to weanling children. This gruel is deficient in both protein and calories. However the poor economic status of the average Ghanaian family does not permit the addition of more costly protein sources such as milk, meat and beans. It has been reported that children fed opaque‑2 maize utilize maize protein at 90% of the efficiency of milk protein. Children raised mainly on a diet of normal maize develop the protein deficiency disease, kwashiorkor[1], but recover on a diet of opaque‑2 maize. The Ghana/CIDA Grains Development Project (GGDP) within the Crops Research Institute (CRI) in collaboration with Sasakawa Global 2000 (SG 2000), initiated a breeding program in quality protein maize (QPM) in Ghana in 1989. Prior to the QPM development project, a multidisciplinary research on maize and legumes had been nurtured by the Governments of Ghana and Canada (CIDA) for a decade. Under the bilateral program, the National Maize Program had enjoyed a relatively strong financial and material support. GGDP was executed jointly by the CRI of Ghana and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mexico. SG2000 served as the facilitator for QPM research and dissemination. Scientists and farmers from several institutions (government agencies, NGOs, community groups) were involved in various aspects of Ghana’s QPM program. A QPM working group was formed and scientists met on a regular basis to share ideas. Group research paper presentations were also given at various forums. CIMMYT QPM germplasm and IITA streak resistant screening facilities in Ibadan, Nigeria were used in the program. The first QPM variety, named Obatanpa ("Good mother"), was released in 1992. Laboratory analysis and animal feeding trials (rats, pigs and chickens) demonstrated that Obatanpa had high feed and nutritional values. During the 1992 farmers' day durbar at Ejura, the then President of Ghana, Flt Lt. J. J. Rawlings, took special interest in the "QPM Pigs" which were sent as exhibits. The President later interrupted his formal speech and invited Dr. S. Twumasi-Afriyie, the CRI Maize breeder, to explain the experiment to the gathering. He later recommended the variety to the gathering. He then directed that the pigs be loaded on top of a pickup truck and shown around the durbar ground. The event was given a wide national TV coverage. By then seed producers had multiplied Obatanpa and the incidence served to launch the seed sales. SG2000 and the Ministry of Agriculture used the Extension Test Plot and Farmer Production Plot schemes as extension tools. In these schemes, input credit for seed, fertilizer and insecticide were given to farmers to grow QPM. This served to move Obatanpa to farmers more rapidly. Special Agricultural TV programs, produced by the Ministry of Agriculture, focused on Obatanpa and gave a lot of publicity to the variety. Activities, experiments and demonstrations were carried out to dispel some of the lingering doubts about QPM. These included a strong belief that QPM produces less grain yield than normal maize; lysine and tryptophan were "heat labile" and would be destroyed during processing into local dishes; QPM is conferred by a recessive gene with modifiers and thus will loose its nutritional advantage in farmers' production plots; QPM will not store well at the farm level; marketing will be difficult because QPM lacked visible identity. Ten years of sustained research, transfer and dissemination was successful in making QPM very popular in Ghana so that QPM soon became the dominant maize produced by farmers. Varieties developed in Ghana spread to several other African countries. To date Obatanpa alone has been released in 10 African countries. The Ghana program also served as a catalyst in the resurgence of interest in QPM research and dissemination worldwide.
What will be learned
· The importance of deliberate national and institutional policy to favour agricultural interventions
· The fact that the relative productivity of QPM compared to normal maize is important in moving QPM.
· The usefulness of animal feeding demonstrations (using QPM rations for pig, poultry and rats) in promoting acceptance of QPM among policy makers and other stakeholders.
· The importance of the strong support of the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) and other NGOs for QPM development and dissemination.
· Significance of national information and extension efforts.
· The importance of active participation of the seed industry.
[1] The word "kwashiorkor" originates from a native language of Ghana, and literally means sickness the first child gets when the second child is born.
Author: S. Twumasi-Afriyie. Date: 2002/08/08
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