The global maize area (for dry grain) amounts to 197 M ha, including substantive areas in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Asia and Latin America (FAOStat, 2021). Together, the three big global staple cereals – wheat, rice, maize – comprise a major component of the human diet, accounting for an estimated 42 percent of the world’s food calories and 37 percent of protein intake (average 2016–18, FAOStat, 2021). Despite maize’s somewhat later domestication and relative isolation till the European settlement in the Americas, maize has quickly disseminated across the globe since then and has become the leading global staple cereal in terms of annual production exceeding 1 billion metric tons (García-Lara & Serna-Saldivar, 2019). Maize ( Zea mays L., also commonly known as corn ) was domesticated more than 9,000 years ago in southern Mexico/Meso America (Awika, 2011 Kennett et al., 2020), following the earlier domestication some 10,000 years ago of wheat in the Fertile Crescent of the Near East and rice in the Yangtze Valley, China (Awika, 2011).

Wheat, maize and rice are the world’s leading staple cereals, each cultivated on some 200 million (M) ha (rounded).

There is a need for further investments in R&D, particularly to enhance maize’s food and livelihood security roles and to sustainably intensify maize production while staying within the planetary boundaries. The inclusiveness and sustainability of the ongoing transformation of agri-food systems in the Global South merit particular attention. This paper reviews maize production, consumption, and international trade to examine the changing trends in global supply and demand conditions over the past quarter century and the implications for research and development (R&D), particularly in the Global South. It is a versatile multi-purpose crop, primarily used as a feed globally, but also is important as a food crop, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, besides other non-food uses. Maize is already the leading cereal in terms of production volume and is set to become the most widely grown and traded crop in the coming decade.

Global maize production has surged in the past few decades, propelled by rising demand and a combination of technological advances, yield increases and area expansion. corn) has played an increasing and diverse role in global agri-food systems. Since its domestication some 9,000 years ago, maize ( Zea mays L.

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