Cereal crops: rice, maize, millet, sorghum, wheat

Abstract

Africa with its vast land area covering 3 billion ha has 1.3 billion ha of agricultural land out of which only 252 million ha (19.36 %) is arable (2011, FAO). Africa is the center of origin and also a major producer of several cereals like sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, teff and African rice. Another major cereal, maize, has overtaken these traditional cereals while wheat is widely cultivated in North Africa and in Sudan and Ethiopia. Agriculture is the ‘engine for growth’ in Africa. With subsistence agriculture practiced by majority small holder farmers, yield gaps are high and poor soils, amongst other constraints add to the difficulties for sustainable farming and incomes. Cereals like Sorghum, Millets, Wheat, Maize and Rice are major staple foods of the most population. These cereals are grown over an area of 98.6 m ha producing 162 m tons (Table1)