Maize, also known as corn in America and Australian English, is a staple part of the East African diet. Maize accounts for 65% of food calories consumed by households in Kenya and is a popular crop due to its fast rate of growth, providing double the yield of wheat, its ability to be grown in many different climates, and having many uses.
Both the Soy and Ugandan farms produce maize crops, often in rotation with beans. The maize is then used in our homes and schools, providing a nutritious meal base for our children, with the excess being sold at market.
Maize has a good nutritional profile as, depending on the variant, maize may contain a number of important B vitamins, folic acid, Vitamin C, and provitamin A (i.e., precursor to vitamin A), as well as being rich in phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper, iron and selenium, with small amounts of potassium and calcium.
Maize or Corn is processed and used in a variety of ways. Maize is a staple food for humans in East Africa, but can also be used for livestock feed, or when farmed in commercial quantities sold for use in a large range of commercial products.
Fresh maize (green corn) can be boiled or roasted on the cob to fill the gap when the grains supply is low. Dried maize is often ground into a flour and then used to make porridge or Ugali - one of our kids’ favourite meals!
Here’s Mama Jacky’s Ugali recipe!
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