Case Study

EDGE CONSULTING LIMITED
Exploratory research on best
cultivation practices of
summer maize in Bangladesh
Finding the success factor
Yasin Kabir, Samar Singho Roy and Mahmudur Rohman
9/13/2015

Contents
Maize cultivation in Bangladesh: opportunities and challenges.......................................................................2
Scope of the exploratory research .......................................................................................................................2
Results from the case studies..............................................................................................................................3
Improved seeds .................................................................................................................................................3
Irrigation: ............................................................................................................................................................4
Fertilizer dosage ................................................................................................................................................7
Pesticide usage..................................................................................................................................................9
Cropping Pattern:...............................................................................................................................................9
Success factors identified:..............................................................................................................................10
Scope of working in new thematic interventions: ........................................................................................11
Bibliography.........................................................................................................................................................12

Maize cultivation in Bangladesh: opportunities and challenges
Together with rice and wheat, maize provides at least 30 percent of the food calories of more than 4.5 billion people in 94 d eveloping
countries. Maize is also the world’s number one feed grain, including the developing countries. It is used extensively as the main source
of calories in animal feed and feed formulation. Between now and 2050, the demand for maize in the developing world will double and,
by 2025,it will have become the crop with the greatestproduction globallyand in the developing world (Rosegrantetal. 2008).
Maize production in Bangladesh: Opportunities
The maize scenario in Asia is somewhatunique compared to the restof the world.Firstly, 70 percent of the total maize produ ced in
Asia is used for feed purposes,23 percentas food,and 7 percentfor other uses.Responding to demand from expanding poultry feed
markets,the area of maize planted in Bangladesh rose from onlya few thousand hectares in the 1980s to more than 200,000 hectares
in 2007-08.The number of maize farmers continues to grow (around 450,000 atthe beginning of2014), and there are an additional
estimated 102,000 laborers for harvesting and postharvesting activities involved in the sector. While the poultry se ctor itselfis growing
at 20% per annum and almost90% ofthe maize demand comes from poultry and fish feed production,maize industryhas a huge
potential for growth. Moreover, the local production of maize in Bangladesh could meetonly70% national dem and for maize,the rest
30% needs to be imported from neighboring countries.In Bangladesh, maize is basicallycultivated in two seasons’ winter and summer
maize. Where winter maize is the dominantvariety in the market, summer maize cultivation is graduallygaining popularityin specific
areas of the northern region of the country where farmers are currently cultivating potato, mustard and wheatduring winter
Background of summer maize project:
Summer maize cultivation is graduallygaining popularityin specific areas ofthe northern region of the country where farmer s are
currently cultivating potato, mustard and wheatduring winter.However, in these regions where farmers have alreadystarted s ummer
maize cultivation in an adhoc basis,theyhave minimal access to information regarding proper cultivation techniques,appropr iate
cropping patterns to maximize on their investmentin inputcost. In addition usage ofquality inputs (summer maize seed variety,
nutrients and pesticides),post-harvestmanagement for summer maize are yet to be developed by professional ,which leaves the
farmers with lack of access to information on these thematic areas.Keeping this contextin mind,in phase 3 Kharif 1 w as launched by
Katalyst launched summer maize intervention (MZ2) in 2014.The primaryobjective of this intervention was to promote summer m aize
cultivation in new areas and increase productivityof the existing summer maize farmers byproviding them bette r access to information
of quality inputs,summer maize cultivation technologyand post-harvestmanagement.As such,Katalyst worked with private partners
(inputcompanies),so that they provide the farmers both with improved quality inputand information
Prevailing Situation: indication from ESIA:
To test the efficiency and effectiveness of the undertaken intervention, Katalyst launched an ESIA this year in the month of July. ESIA
was conducted primarily focusing into two respondent groups i.e. control farmer (farmers who were not out of the scope of MZ2) and
treatment farmers (farmers who received information from MZ2 interventions).The results of the ESIA came out very intriguing where
the access to benefit convergence came out to close to 60%. In the study area, cases were found where the treatment farmers of the
areas were not necessarily gaining more benefits from summer maize cultivation in compare with the control farmers. An in house
brainstorming session was held amongst summer maize team members on 30th July where the results findings were discussed and
root-cause analysis was done. Many factors were identified on the same day which could be related to the findings of ESIA. Stratified
sampling of control and treatment farmers, methodology of the conducted ESIA, contour of the study, dissimilar context of the two
respondent group, fall in market price of summer maize last year etc were the few root causes assumed to have an impact on the
results. Designing of MZ2 interventions also came under scrutiny on the brain storming session. And as a result of the discussion, it
was decided that, an exploratory research (ER) is needed to identify the appropriate causalityof the result.
Scope of the exploratory research
The scope of the proposed ER is divided into two study contours. One in any of the MZ2 intervention areas (where summer maize
project was implemented both this season and lastseason) and the other is a new area where MZ2 has not been rolled out but farmers
are cultivating summer maize.
The SOW in MZ2 working areas are:
1. Identify the farmers who managed to achieve success in maize farming last year/couple of years (in terms of yield and profit
margin)
2. Acquire in depth information on the factors that made the respondent“successful” w.r.t. to the other farmers in the study contour
3. Compare the success factors of the respondent farmers with that of the treatment/control farmers of the ESIA under the same
contour
4. Analyze the findings from the comparison and

4.1. Identify possible loopholes/gaps/keyimprovementareas on the conducted ESIA methodology(ifapplicable)
4.2. Explore what were the key areas that could be improved in designing MZ2 interventions lastseason (ifapplicable)
4.3. Suggest possible strategic directions to improve the effectiveness of the interventions that will be rolled out in the filed under
MZ2
The SOW in new study contour (Chuadanga) is:
5. Identify the farmers who managed to achieve success in maize farming for lastcouple ofyears (in terms of yield and profit m argin)
6. Acquire in depth information on the factors that made the respondent “successful” w.r.t. to the other farmers who were under MZ2
intervention in MZ2 working areas
7. Compare the success factors of the respondent farmers with that of the treatment/control farmers of the ESIA under the MZ2
working area contour
8. Analyze the findings from the comparison and
8.1. Identify possible loopholes/gaps/keyimprovementareas on the conducted ESIA methodology(ifapplicable)
8.2. Explore what were the key areas that could be improved in designing MZ2 interventions lastseason (ifapplicable)
8.3. Suggest possible strategic directions to improve the effectiveness of the interventions that will be rolled out in the filed under
MZ2
Outcome of the exploratory research
A total of 20 case studies is expected to be formulated from the ER. As mentioned the case studies will be conducted on 20 farmers
who have done exceptionally well in maize farming both in and out of the working area of MZ2 within the study area as well as and a
detailed interview was conducted with the farmers to identify their success factors.
Results from the case studies
After successful farmers have been identified in the study, The private seed companies who have an established marketand retailers
of agro commodityin the study area were the primarysources ofinformation from whom the respondents ofthe study were identified.
The results are as below
Improved seeds:
Findings from case study: Among all the successful farmers who have made substantial profitfrom summer maize cultivation,have
used qualityseeds.Their investmentcostfor seeds were higher with compared to the farmers who were successful butdid not gain
profit margin as much as the former group did. As seen from the table above, the yield of maize has a linear relationship with the seed
cost, the better the seed (the higher is the costof seeds) has given farmers higher yields.Better seeds have higher germina tion rate as
well as they are more resilientto excessive wind force. Nor’wester,is a common weather eventthat sets in during early summers/late
spring in Bangladesh.These are widespread,straightlined storms thatare associated with lad based fastmoving group ofsevere
thunder storms.To withstand these storms,better quality seeds i.e.seeds with high resiliencyto wind speed are to be used for better
production
Seed cost vs yield analysis:
Benefit and Costanalysis was conducted,in each survey, where the farmers provided information regarding their costassociatedwith
maize farming and the benefit they retrieved after selling their harvest. In order to compare the data, incurred costand acquired benefit
were divided by land size of each farmer to check any correlation between the two. The hypothesis of the analysis was considering
 Seed cost per decimal as the x values (independentvariable)
 Yield per decimal as the y values (dependentvariable)
 Positive linear relation between x and y , y =coefficient*x+ constant

Figure 1: Seed cost vs Yield per decimal
However, from the data set, no co relation between the two parameters i.e.seed costper decimal and yield per decimal could be
derived. The value of r and r2 (co-relation coefficient and Co-efficientof determination) did notbear any significance.Below is listof
value r2
and its associated relations.(Note when the values of r2
is in the range between 0≤r2
≤1,and the closer the values is to 1, the
higher is the percentof the data will fit the bestfit curve it of rom the collected data.
Type of co relations betweenx and y Equation Value of r2
w.r.t 1
Linear y = 0.0133x + 0.4633 r² = 0.0787
Exponential y = 0.4991e0.0168x
r² = 0.0621
Polynomial ( 2 order) y = 0.0001x2
+ 0.0065x + 0.5421 r² = 0.079
As seen from the above table, no clear co relation can be established between the two parameters in question.In fact, the graph shows
a clutter of points to have the bestyield in the price value range between 20-25 tk. The interview from the farmers showed that,the
existing expensive varieties of seed in the markethave a better germination rate but, they do not necessarilyhave high resi stance to
wind speed.Most of the plots were moderatelydamaged bywind lastseas on and substantial bulking ofthe plants occurred.And when
the plants bulk,their net surface area of exposure to sunlightreduces significantly,which in fact reduces plants photosynthesis.Growth
is hampered as well as developmentofsilking ofkernels. Therefore, even if the farmers have used high qualityseeds,due to lack of
resiliencyto high wind speed,their yields did not increase accordingly
Irrigation:
Findings from case study: In Bangladesh,agriculture is still basicallyrain fed. That is why duration,intensity and spread of rainfall
curve is very importantas far as growing crops are concerned.This particular year extensive drought and late rainfall,have already
taken a toll in agriculture. The rainy season started late than usual and As seen from figure 21
, in a river in the northern region of
Bangladesh,the current water level is far more higher than the recorded highest earlyMay and late June this year. The unexpected
rainfall in early may resulted in water logging in the medium type lands water level. The water requirementofmaize plantis very
delicate and the requirement varies on the differentstages ofthe plants growth. The plots which have received sufficientrainfall in due
time,did not require additional irrigation and hence the farmer did notneed to investfor irrigation. These farmers have acquired yield
as much as the farmers who had to invest in irrigation.The later groups’ plots did notreceive sufficientrainfall when required.However,
when asked aboutthe requirementofwater/irrigation for summer maize farming,the farmers who succeeded could notprovide sp ecific
information regarding water requirementfor maize plant.This is an interesting finding in the context of the study. In Bangladesh,even
though electricity is subsidized,butthe costper unit KWH is still very high.
1 Flood forecasting and warning center, BWDB
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
10 15 20 25 30 35
Yieldperdecimal,mounds
Seed cost per decimal , BDT
Seed cost Vs Yield per decimal

This lack of knowledge ofproper irrigation management,maylead to excessive or un-necessaryexpenditure in irrigation.This issue will
be analyzed in the BCA section below,where the irrigation costinvested by each respondenton their per decimal land is compared
with the yield(mounds)
Irrigation cost Vs yield analysis: The respondents were interviewed by using a question guide , which captured their incurred costs
and acquired profit margin from summer maize farming in 2015 season.To establish co relationship between the two factors , farmers
associated costfor irrigation in the total life cycle of summer maize were calculated and the cost was divided by their land size to
calculate irrigation costper decimal . The same was done for yield. Each respondent’s yield was divided by their respective land size
and the following hypothesis was adopted to explore the relationship
 Irrigation costper decimal as the x values (independentvariable)
Figure 4: Irrigation cost vs yield per decimal
As seen from the graph above, farmers who did notirrigate their field (0.4 mound per decimal),had almostthe same yield as some of
the farmers who irrigated their fields and spentaround BDT10 per decimal.And very surprisingly,one farmer who spentthe h ighest
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Irrigation cost per decimal, BDT
Irrigation cost vsYeild per dec
Figure 2: Water level (mPWD) comparison in Gur River

amountof moneyfor irrigation purpose (BDT91) had only 0.76 mound per decimal whereas farmer who spentaround BDT21 tk got
the highestyield of the 25 sample size.When a bestfit curve was super imposed on the data set,no co relation could be established. A
co relation can only be deemed as valid when the value of coefficientof determination (r2
) lies between -1 and 1. Below is the values of
r2
for this particular data setwhen different relationship between the costof irrigation per decimal (x) and yiel d per decimal was (y) was
tested.As seen from the table below a 3rd
degree polynomial equation has the highestvalue of r2
for these two parameters and the
value of r2
itselfis not close to 1 or -1 , from which a relationship can be established
w.r.t 1
Linear y = 0.0007x + 0.7722 r² = 0.0043
r² = 0.0122
Polynomial ( 2nd
order) y = -7E-05x2
+ 0.0059x + 0.7231 r² = 0.0409
Polynomial ( 3rd
order) y = 5E-06x3
- 0.0007x2
+ 0.0229x + 0.6386 r² = 0.109
Conclusion: The water requirementfor summer maize varies depending on the different growth stages ofthe plant. Any deficit from
the required water quantity would resultin damage in growth for the plant.Especiallyany moisture deficiencyon V12 stage results in
reduction in potential number of kernels and ear size 2
and on the other hand,excessive water, untimelywater logging causes
deterioration ofstalk and resultin sproutand mold damage to ear3
. The respondents on this particular study,used their experience
while determining the water requirements needs,butthey did not take the actual water requirementfor differentstages ofma ize crop
developmentand its associated water requirementneeds in to account.As a result,the success factor for the case of proper irrigation
was more a chance issue rather than a measured one.Farmers who’s plotreceived adequate rainfall atthe time of the plants n eed and
on the amountthatwas needed for their maize on that particular stage,had very good yield by chance. On the other hand a farmer who
invested a lot of cash for irrigation and flooded their lands with water even if that was not the requirement, The corn yield response to
irrigation water application follows the rule of diminishing returns (i.e.as the crop approaches maximum yield,the lastinch or two of
water applied will netless additional grain yield than the first inch applied).Therefore,several inches of extra water wil l lower the net
return of the irrigated field potentially due to depressed grain yield resulting from leaching ofnutrients below the active root zone and
inhibiting aeration ofsoil.In addition the extra cost incurred for the excess irrigation will also add up to the total investmentcostfor
maize production.A propose irrigation scheduling is to be maintained keeping in mind the differentand graduallydecreasing water
demand ofcorn as shown in the below figure4
Figure 5: Long term daily average water needs in selected growth stages of corn plant
As seen from the figure above, the daily crop water use of maize varies from 0.1 inch/day , it increases up to Tassel forming.Any
moisture stress during these stages will interfere with pollination. In fact any stress after 12leafor V12 and up to R2 (blister) stage
effects yield the mostthatany other stage.Similarlyafter maturity, stagnantwater is not required in the field 5
.This knowledge of
propose irrigation water managementis yet to be popularized and disseminated to maize farmers in the study area. Private input
companies,DAE along with agriculture research institution should launch a research on appropriate cultivation technologies for corn
cultivation tailored for summer maize in context of Bangladesh.
2 Heather Darby and Joe Lauer,“Plant Physiology:Critical Stages in the life of a Corn plant ”FC
3 Dr. R W Heiniger,”Flood or Moisture Damage to Corn”, North Carolina Co-operative Extension Service
4 William L Kranz et al “Irrigation managementfor corn”, Neb Guide, University of Nebraska –Lincoln Extension,Institute ofAgriculture
and Natural Resources
5 IOWA State university “Corn Field Guide”

Fertilizer dosage
Findings from the case study: The 25 respondents who have been identified as successful summer maize farmers have found to use
Urea. They have realized that, high yield in maize is closelyassociated with N application and mostofthe farmers ofBangladeshuse
Urea as a N based fertilizer where the %of N is close to 46.In Bangladesh,farmers do summer maize cultivation as a chance crop after
potato and before T-Aman. The farmers usuallydo not apply micro or macro nutrients for summer maize,as they apply all the fertilizers
for potato cultivation.
Fertilizer cost vs Yield per decimal analysis: The study then conducted CostBenefit analysis.The respondents gave details oftheir
incurred costand the rate at which they sold their harvest in 2015 season.The data hence collected from the questionnaire was
analyzed. The total costof fertilizers incurred for the 25 respondents were analyzed.Respondents gave details ofthe quantity of
fertilizers and its associated cost.The total costwas then divided by their respective land size to get the fertilizer costper decimal.A
comparative analysis was done in terms ofcostincurred between the different fertilizers that were used in the respondent’s field.The
results were in line of what was predicted in context of Bangladesh. Below table shows the percentage ofcosts that was borne th at
was used in the and as predicted in the context of Bangladesh,40% of the total costincurred for fertilizers is the costfor applying Urea.
The other nutrients are that had the major use was TSP 18%, MOP 11.5% and DAP 11% . For the analysis the following hypothesis
was made
 Fertilizer cost per decimal as the x values (independentvariable)
After the data setwas plotin the graph, the following scatter graph (figure 6) was observed.Given the hypothesis,thata p ositive
relationship would prevail between the costper decimal offertilizer usage and yield per decimal,the graph somewhatshowed a
contradictory scenario.The bestcurve was tested againstdifferentrelationship between the two tested parameter and the val ue of r2.
.
Below table shows the value of r2
in each tested relationship between xand y
Type of co relations betweenx and y Equation Value of r2 w.r.t 1
Linear y = 0.0005x + 0.761 R² = 0.0044
R² = 0.0007
Polynomial (2nd
order) y = 7E-05x2
- 0.0087x + 0.9802 R² = 0.1377
Polynomial (3rd
order) y = 2E-06x3
- 0.0003x2
+ 0.0135x + 0.6829 R² = 0.2577
Polynomial (4th
order) y = -8E-08x4
+ 2E-05x3
- 0.0022x2
+ 0.0709x + 0.1741 R² = 0.4099
The analysis shows that, a polynomial equation of4th
order having two hills and a valley represents the data setto a nominal co
relationship.The yield is increased with the increased amountofdosage ofurea ( in this analysis onlyurea is considered as this is the
mostcommonlyused fertilizer by respondents and comprises of40% of the total costfor fertilizer used in1 decimal land). Butfor the
farmers who have used urea around BDT 60-80,their yield actually got reduced , despite they have used more urea than the farmers
who spend around 40 BDT. The farmers who have used BDT 60-80,had a 20% loss in yield. And interestinglywhen the investment
was increased two folds,the yield per decimal started increasing again

Figure 6: Fertilizer cost per decimal vs yield per decimal
Conclusion: The striking fact that came out of the study was that , the
hypothesis or the pertaining beliefofthe respondents that,more fertilizer =
more yield is not true for all cases.The respondents ofthis studyhave been
cultivating maize for considerable period of time.And from the annexure, it
is evident that many of the respondents practices maize after maize
cropping pattern.The others follow maize after potato cropping pattern.
Now, maize being a deep rooted crop and requires a neutral pH level (6.0)
for optimal growth6
.Very often the unused nutrients that are a residue after
potato cultivation remain in the soil. High yield in maize is closely
associated with urea application,butonly where other inputs and
managementpractices are optimal.. In figure 7, an example of the mutual
benefitfrom N fertilizer and enhanced plantpopulation is shown Application
of urea will not only work proportionatelywith yield when moisture supplyis
inadequate or uncertain,optimal levels offertilizer as well as plant
population will be below those required for top yields. The best results of
using urea will be attained when the water supply,either natural or
supplemented byirrigation,is adequate for full crop growth.Under good
growing conditions,a yield response of30 kg grain/kg N can be obtained.
Maize requires differentlevel of N take up from soil at different stages ofthe
plantgrowth. The Nitrogen take up level reaches to a maximum before and
after tasseling,where the rate exceeds 4kg N/ha/day. Therefore, fertilizer
scheduling mustbe done in accordance with this pattern to avoid losses by
volatilization or leaching.7
The optimum N rate for corn grain was developed
through experiments thatmeasured maize yield response under different
dosage ofurea to the soil.As seen from figure 7 , one such experiment
shows thatthe yield increase responded positivelyto 200kh/ha or urea
dosage.After that in either plants/ha scenario,excessive N reduced the
yield. And to attain maximum yield gain from urea usage,our farmers need to be equipped with optimal dosage chartof fertilizers with
prescribed number ofplants per row and there could,not be any moisture stress iffertilizers are to be applied in the field 8
6 Carie et al “Nutrition Application guideline for field, vegetable and fruit crops in Wisconsin”, The Wisconsin soil testing
program
7 FAO 2006,”Nutrient management guideline for some major crops”
8 Gros, A. 1967,“Guide pratique de la fertilisation” Paris, LaMaison Rustique
y = -8E-08x4 + 2E-05x3 - 0.0022x2 + 0.0709x + 0.1741
R² = 0.4099
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Fertilizer cost per decimal, BDT
Fertilizer cost vs Yeild per dec
Figure 7: Urea dosage and yield response of maize plants

Pesticide usage
Findings from the case study: The respondents more or less opted for pesticide use.The mostcommonlyused pesticide found in
this study is the ones which are used againstto control cut worms and corn borer.These pestattacks are usuallyaccompanied with
water logging as well as moisture stress.And both these conditions are common in context of Bangladesh for summer maize farming.
However, farmers onlyopt for using pesticide after they have detected injury to their plants notas preventive measure
Fertilizer cost vs yield per decimal analysis:
Pesticide cotvs yield per decimal analysis was done using the 25 data setthat was collected in the study. The total cost incurred for
pesticides was divided by respective respondents land size and the total yield of each respondentwas also divided bytheir land size to
get the yield per decimal. The following hypothesis was made to establish a relationship from the two parameters i.e.pesticide costand
Yield per decimal
 Fertilizer cost per decimal as the x values (independentvariable)
Figure 8: Pesticide cost vs yield per decimal
From the above graph, different relationship options were trialed outwith the value of r2. But none of the options gave a very promising
value for r2
which was close to the value range of -1 to +1. Below is the table of r2
values and its respective co relation option that were
trialed out
w.r.t 1
Linear y = 0.012x + 0.6999 R² = 0.1425
Exponential y = 0.6661e0.0169x R² = 0.1371
Polynomial (2nd
order) y = -6E-05x2
+ 0.0136x + 0.6944 R² = 0.1428
Polynomial (3rd
order) y = 0.0001x3
- 0.005x2
+ 0.0602x + 0.6128 R² = 0.2228
From the above table, no relationship could be established between the two parameters because the value of r2
was way below 1
Cropping Pattern:Farmers in Bangladesh,pre dominantlypractices sequential cropping .This type of cropping usuallyinvolves
growing two or three types crops in one year Usuallyin northern region of Bangladesh ,farmers grow potato in winter and T a man
during the long rains.They grow summer maize as a cover crop in between potato or wheat and T aman. Of 25 study samples,23
respondents were from the North who practiced Potato-Maize-T Aman cropping pattern. To broaden the scope ofthe study, 2
respondents were chosen from Chuadanga,which is in the south region ofthe country and farmers over there practice a different
cropping pattern. The respondents in Chudanga grow maize after maize. From the point of cropping pattern , this should notbe a very
healthy cropping pattern , as maize being a deep rooted crop extracts nutrient from the deep layers of soil.Hypothetically, cultivating
maize in consecutive two seasons in a single year should exhaustsoil nutrients from a certain depth and therefore, to gain a nomin al
yield , more inputcostis required.However, to establish a relation between cropping pattern and yield the following hypothesis were
made
 Output/Input ration was calculated for three major cropping pattern
 All opportunitycost (Lease value,labor cost) were excluded while calculating “inputper decimal”
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
YieldPerdecimal,mounds
Pesticide cost per decimal, BDT
Pesticide cost Vs Yeild per dec

 The “yield per decimal” was multiplied by co-efficientto negate the loss factor due to fluctuating selling price ofthe
respondents.A hypothetical selling price ofBDT 700 per mound was considered as the co-efficient
 Only the cases with highestvalue of Output/Input ratio (the bestthree) was compared with that of o/I ration of
different cropping pattern
 All the calculations were made against1 decimal
Below is the resultof o/I ration for differentcropping patterns
Sl Name District Yield Output Input O/I ratio Croppingpattern
Robi Kharif 1 Kharif 2
1 Korona Kanta Roy Dinajpur 1.0752 752.63 106.32 7.07921 Potato Maize Aman
2 A. Khalek Panchogor 1.0526 736.84 149.25 4.93703 Potato Maize Aman
3 MonoranjanRoy Dinajpur 0.5143 360 74.286 4.84615 Potato Maize Fallow
4 ShachinRoy Dinajpur 0.8 560 181.6 3.0837 Wheat Maize Aman
5 Mojibor Rohman Panchagarh 0.8112 567.81 190.56 2.7393 Wheat Maize Aman
6 Robiul Hasan Tota Chuadanga 0.4329 303.03 206.19 1.46966 Maize Maize Vegetable
7 MahbubAlam Chuadanga 0.4545 318.18 224.39 1.41796 Maize Maize Cauliflower
Table 1: O/I ration of different cropping pattern
I/O ration of different cropping pattern: As predicted, the farmer who have cultivated maize in between potato and T Aman, have
higher I/O ration than the farmers who cultivate maize consecutively. The reason is very clear from table 1, the farmers who
successivelycultivates maize both in Robi and Kharif season,has higher inputcostthan the farmers who cultivates maize in betwee n
potato and T aman.The later farmers have lower inputcostas the input they use in potato, hypothetically suffice the need o f corn
plants .Therefore they do not necessarilyuse additional inputs during maize cultivation.This reduces their inputcost as mu ch as three
folds from the farmer who consecutively cultivates maize. Another aspectis crops thatare being cultivated before summer maize and
after summer maize.Farmers who have cultivated maize after wheat had a greater yield than the farmers who have cultivated po tato.
But wheat being a deep rooted crop , extracts nutrients from the same level where corn plants does and farme rs who cultivates mize
after wheat has to give more inputs.That’s is why their inputcost is higher than the farmers who does maize after potato. Farerms who
kept their land fallow has a better o/I ratio than these farmer who grows wheta because their cropping pattern allows their land notbe
exhausted of nutrientfrom the same deep level. However, whether the inputused for potato farming suffices the need for nutrients for
maize farming can not concluded from the study. In order to determine , ideal dosage for summer maize,trial plots in controlled
environmentis required
Success factors identified: Apartfrom the above issues,from the 25 case studies the following factors were identified on a
piecemeal basis
Harvesting at the right time : Farmers who have harvested their kernels before maturitylose their yield by 50% , when they shell their
cobs . The kernels tend to break after when they are shelled bymachines.Farmers usuallyharvesttheir cobs in pre matured s tate
when there is a chance of storm or extensive rainfall.Therefore,planning the sowing time is very crucial for gaining maximum yield
Timing of Irrigation: As discussed earlier,irrigation scheduling is a key factor. Moisture stress affects the yield of corns more than any
other externalities.On the other hand,excessive water causes stalk damage as well as weightreduction ofkernels , which eventually
results in low yield. Meeting appropriate irrigation requirementfrom V12- R2 stage is very crucial and farmers who have followed the
schedule had success in summer maize farming.In addition,keeping proper drainage in the plots is necessaryto prevent water logging
in the field due to excessive rainfall
Period of maize farming: This is a very importantfactor which was overlooked during the launch of ESIA. Maize being a deep rooted
crop having a close relationship with N dosage and water requirementneeds specific cultivation management.Especiallyfor the
farmers who have been cultivating maize for a longer period of time need to address this issue seriously.Summer maize is treated as a
chance crop by the farmers and hence,they do not tend to invest more in the crop, when they sow maize after potato. Popular beliefis
that, the residual nutrients ofpotato field will suffice the nutrientrequirementofmaize. This is true for the plots which are not subjected
to maize farming for a long period of time.For this reason,recentplots which are cultivating maize seems to have the same yield with
that of the plots that are subjected to maize farming for a long time . More importantly,for the plots which are subjected to maize
farming for a long period,requires additional nutrient,irrigation and other inputs more than the pots whi ch have been used for summer
maize faming for shorter period.This pushes up the investmentcostfor the former plots whereas the yields of both the lands are almost
identical.This is key issue which has to be taken into consideration,because a straight comparison between the two types of plots will
defiantly be misleading.Maize cultivation require appropriate irrigation and nutrients,and even if the BCA of recentmaize farmers (with
few inputs and investment) have better ratios than farmers who have been cultivating maize for a long time,this should notbe taken as
recommended practice.
Balanced fertilization: few farmers who have used compostfertilizer (cow dung + fly ash) had a very good resultwithoutadditional
nutrient. The key factor in these cases were ,cow dungs which were used did notleach out the nutrient,they were covered u p to

prevent leaching and the fly ash componentactuallyprovide N,P and K needs for the corn plant. Balance fertilizer usage can greatly
reduce the investment,whereas the yield from the low cost is substantial
Disaster resilient variety : About 47% of the plots in the study area were affected by norwester this season which caused leaning of
the stalk.When this happens silking is hampered and this results in fewer number ofgrain rows in each kernel .i.e. yield loss.Disaster
Cropping Pattern: Cropping pattern is a key issue thathas been identified in this study. Crops which have deep roots , they break up
the hardpans and tap moisture and nutrients from the deep in the soil . On the other hand , the shallow rooted crops ,tap nu trients near
the surface and bind the soil.They form tiny holes in the soil so that air and water can get in the soil.That is why potato and maize is
such a happy marriage. In addition , another common practice is cultivating maize after wheat, which should notbe promoted.Becase
boith the crops extrat nutrient from the same deep level of soil and that is why farmers have to pay additional inputcostto grow maize.
Farmers who kepttheir land fallow also proved to be successful with comparativelylow input cost,becau se by keeping their land fallow
during flooding allows siltto settle down on their soil and replenish the b=nutrientgaps from the other two crops that thye cultivate
round the year . However, the findings/recommendations made in the studyshould notbe restricted within the boundary25 sample
size. The respondents ofthis particular study are comparatively recentmaize farmers.And the study also looked into very shortterm
impacts such as costand yield for the currentseason.But long terms impactofdoing maize in the same soil can be devastating.
Planting the same crop season after season encourages certain weeds,insects and diseases.Again as discussed earlier ,maize intake
of soil N is very high and that is why it recommended that, legumes (ground nuts and beans) fix N in the soil and should be
recommended as either crop rotation or intercropping with maize.Studies have shown that, farmers in western Kenya used to grow
maize years after years which eventually compacted their soil and soil started to erode away. In 1999,an ICARF project worked with
farmers and introduced zero tillage and leguminous shrubs.In 2001, after 2 years of the inception of the project, one harmer harvested
1.9 tonnes per hectare, by 2004 he was producing 3.2 tons/ha 9
. Therefore , a thorough study on inter cropping and bestcropping
pattern suited for summer maize should be undertaken to better co relate the factors should be taken as the sample size taken in this
case study has little statistical significance and the plots were notunder controlled environment
Post- harvest management: One particular respondent,who has his own silo for stoking his maize,used gas tablets and naphthalene
for storing his grains.Because ofthe scale,he can afford to sell his summer maize grains after the peak period and fetch very good
pricing.With the comprehensive post-harvestmanagement,he can store his grains up to six months with physical quality of the grains
unchanged.Butthe scale at which he does post-harvestmanagement,maynot be scalable but, some techniques which requires very
little capital can be further explored and could be replicated in the study area , so that farmers can store their grains a bit longer and sell
at better price
Scope of working in new thematic interventions:
Despite the current efforts in maize sector,there are few areas in maize sector where the new interventions is required The farmers are
still using post-dated cultivation methods in Bangladesh.Moreover, the cultivation practices between the winter and summer maize is
almostidentical.The private inputcompanies are notequipped with proper knowledge ofcultivation technologyeither. This is the grim
reality of maize as far as pre cultivation and cultivation phase are concerned.The situation is even worse in case of post-harvest
management.There is hardlyany use of technology at presentfor drying the harvest. Shelling machine have been introduced here but
still it is not enough to reduce the massive loss in post-harvestmanagement,For summer maize farmers m the need for mechanized
drying is even more so. Their seasonalityof the early variety itselfposes a threatto the harvest. Even if the farmers manage to harvest
the cobs before the early monsoon and norwesters,when itcomes to drying the grains,it is full-fledged monsoon.As a resultthe
farmers become helpless and they literally do not have any option top dry their grains and eventually sell them to intermedia rybuyers at
low price. This is one key area that needs to be addressed immediatelyifwe want to explore maize cultivation in its full potential
9 FAO, 2008 “Africa Training manual for maize farming ”

Bibliography
Carie et al “Nutrition Application guideline for field, vegetable and fruit crops in Wisconsin”, The
Wisconsin soil testing program
Dr. R W Heiniger,”Flood or Moisture Damage to Corn”, North Carolina Co-operative Extension
Service
FAO 2008,”Africa Training Manual for maize farming ”
FAO 2006,”Nutrient management guideline for some major crops”
Flood forecasting and warning center, BWDB
Gros, A. 1967, “Guide pratique de la fertilisation” Paris, LaMaison Rustique
Heather Darby and Joe Lauer, “Plant Physiology: Critical Stages in the life of a Corn plant ”FC
IOWA State university “Corn Field Guide”
William L Kranz et al “Irrigation management for corn”, Neb Guide, University of Nebraska –Lincoln
Extension, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources

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