| Summary: | In recent years Zaire has changed from a net exporter to a
net importer of maize. Four districts of South Central Zaire were
selected to investigate factors which limit the production and the
supply of marketed maize grain in Zaire.
Farmers in this area were interviewed to collect data on the
number of crops planted, the peak periods for agricultural operation,
the division of labor within the household and the labor force available
for agricultural work. Survey procedures were also used to
determine when and where farmers sell maize and who buys marketed
maize. The effects on maize production of the policies of the central
and regional governments were also investigated.
During the sixties and early seventies, national investment
policy has heavily favored the urban based manufacturing and mining
sectors, undoubtedly contributing to the fact that many Zairians
migrated from rural to urban areas. In the absence of a compensating
increase in labor productivity, these migrations reduced agricultural
output and the quantities of food crops sold, particularly,
the quantity of maize delivered to urban markets.
At the producer's level, this study indicates that low maize
production is a consequence of inadequate storage for seed and consumption
maize. The use of seeds of low quality for germination
combined with production practices that result in untimely planting,
weeding and harvesting contribute to low maize yields.
This study also indicates that one of the factors which has
contributed to limit the quantity of maize produced is a shortage
of labor during peak periods of agricultural operations. Labor
shortages exist because of the limited number of household members
involved in agricultural work, and because of the division of labor in
the household which assigns some agricultural tasks almost exclusively
to women.
The study also indicates that the effectiveness of the marketing
system in providing incentives for maize production has been limited
by weak transportation and communication links between production
and consumption centers and by efforts of some traders to gain oligopsonistic
power in their relations with maize producers in the more
isolated areas. This study also indicates that national price policies
have negatively affected maize production. Other regional and local
policies have served to restrict interregional trade.
The policy implications of this study suggest that a number of
government programs may be helpful in increasing maize production
and the supply of marketable surplus. These may include: (1) government
information programs designed to improve maize storage, seed
quality and the efficiency of the marketing system;. (2) diffusion of
information on the appropriate times for planting, weeding and harvesting
maize; (3) further promotion of the technological package
developed by Programme National Mais and the provision of inputs
and incentives favorable to the adoption of this technology; (4) providing
incentives for the promotion of a greater participation of all household
members in agricultural production; and (5) some mechanical assistance
for plowing such as is now provided by two government supervised
production organizations, CAKO and TABAZAIRE. Indications
from this study also suggest that a successful implementation of such
programs would necissitate some reorganization of the extension
service and diverting a larger share of government current and investment
expenditures to agriculture. === Graduation date: 1977
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