Spatial evaluation of maize yield in Malawi

The objective of this research was to quantify the effects of climate, soil, and management on spatial and temporal variation of maize yields across Malawi. We simulated four different nitrogen (N) management strategies to evaluate the impact of mineral and organic N amendments on maize yield across the agricultural lands of Malawi. Maize yield increased when the crop was grown with pigeonpea, or if mineral N fertilizer was added, but yield improvements under these management strategies varied spatially as result of different soil biophysical and chemical properties, weather, and their interactions with management. The increased yield from N addition showed that a significant increase in food production could be achieved in Malawi to reduce food insecurity.