Global alliance for improving food security and the livelihoods
of the resource-poor in the developing world Maize is the
preferred staple crop of 900 million of the world's poor and
one-third of all malnourished children. Together with rice and
wheat, maize provides 30% of all calories for more than 4.5
billion people in 94 developing countries. Between now and 2050,
the demand for maize in the developing world will double, fueled
by population growth and changing diets. These challenges form
the collective focus of worldwide maize research, a
collaboration of more than 350 public and private organizations
united to reduce hunger in the developing world.