Person: Mulaa, M.
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Mulaa, M.
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- Insect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA II) "Delivering products to Farmers": (2004-2008): fifth stakeholders meeting(KARI, 2005) Mugo, S.N.; Gichuki, S.T.; Poland, D.; Ouya, D.; De Groote, H.; Mulaa, M.The IRMA project is aimed at producing stem borer resistant and locally adapted maize for various Kenyan agro-ecological zones using conventional and biotechnology mediated methods, especially Bt technology. Transgenic maize containing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a focal point of the project, prompting project organizers to emphasize public involvement and awareness through events such as the Stakeholders Meeting. The IRMA project was publicly launched on March 3, 2000 with the convening of the first Stakeholders Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. A stakeholder meeting is held every year leading to this fifth meeting held on 9 December 2004. The stakeholders have included: farmers' associations, women's groups, religious organizations, seed producers, regulatory agencies, NGOs, the media, consumer associations, food processors, project scientists from KARl, CIMMYT and participating and potentials donors. The specific objectives of the Stakeholders' Meeting have variously been to: 1. Introduce the IRMA project to stakeholders, 2. Create awareness on the economic importance of stem borers in Kenyan agriculture, 3. Create awareness on the control options for stem borers, 4. Solicit responses from stakeholders on the need and processes of developing insect resistant maize for Kenya 5. Inform the stakeholders on the progress as well as to review the progress, 6. Solicit feedback for the project scientists to direct their way forward 7. Visit the biosafety facilities that IRMA has developed at the KARl Biotechnology Center at NARL including the biosafety greenhouse complex and the biosafety levei II laboratory. In all these meetings, the stakeholders have expressed the need to use sound management strategies and to follow the national regulations strictly during introduction and testing of Bt genes in the country. The view shared by nearly all was that we could only evaluate Bt genes if they are in the country. Bt maize was viewed as having high chances of closing the wide and increasing food deficit in Kenya. During the more recent stakeholders meetings, participants expressed satisfaction with the progress of the project and suggested greater emphasis on training. The fifth stakeholders' meeting attracted 93 participants from 34 institutions that were categorized into eight groups. This was almost double the participation in 2003 by institutions as well as total number of participants.
Publication - Report of a Workshop on Integrating Pastures, Fodders and Cereal Crops as Refugia for Stem Borers in the Farming Systems of the Humid Coastal Kenya, 26-29 July, 2004(KARI, 2005) Mulaa, M.; Mugo, S.N.; Muli, B.; Poland, D.The Insect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA) project is a joint project between Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARl) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) with financial support from the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture. The goal of IRMA project is to increase maize production and food security through the deployment of insect resistant maize germplasm developed using conventional and biotechnology technology, such as Bt maize, to reduce losses due to stem borers. In Kenya,stem borers inflict maize yield losses estimated to be on average 13.5% valued at KES 5.6 billion (US$ 72 million) annually. Surveys conducted between 1995 and 2002 indicate that Kenyan farmers use several insecticides (mostly trich1orophon, fenitrothion, permethrin and Bulldocka), and/or local technical knowledge (e.g., ash, soil, chilies, plant products) for stem borer control, while some make no attempt to control stem borers. Using chemical control (Bulldock) on approximately 70,000 ha of maize grown in the Coast Province would cost about KES 22 million annually, when applied at the rate of 2.5 kg/ha (not including the cost of labor for application [PDA, Coast Province]). Insect resistant plants, e.g., transgenic plants with insecticides derived from the common soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), are becoming increasingly important for pest management mainly because the insecticidal crystal proteins (also called d-endotoxins) from Bt are extremely toxic to certain pests, but cause no harm to humans, most beneficial insects, and other nontarget organisms. Other advantages of transgenic plants over pesticide use are that they offer labor-free insect protection throughout the plant growth cycle, from seedling to maturity, and the pesticide is confined to plants thus limiting soil and water pollution. One concern about utilizing Bt maize technology is the possible development of resistance to the Bt toxins by the target stem borer species. However, the rate of evolution of resistance can be slowed or stopped through the use of appropriate resistance management strategies. To this end, the IRMA project is developing maize varieties that carry Bt and conventional resistance. In addition, resistance management strategies are being developed; the primary strategy being provision of a refuge consisting of host plants that do not produce the toxins (refugia) and can maintain populations of nonresistant borers that will breed with potentially resistant borers and limit the build-up of resistant insect populations. To be accepted by farmers, however, IRM strategies must conform to existing cropping systems, and the refugia crops must be economically viable and socially acceptable to farmers. For the past three years, IRMA scientists have conducted field trials and lab bioassays to screen and identify suitable refugia crops. Their findings indicate that fodders and cereal crops such as sorghum, maize, Columbus grass, pearl millet, giant setaria and some napier grass varieties are suitable refugia, based on the researchers' criteria. The scientists have also conducted surveys in 15 major maize growing districts in Kenya to estimate and document the area covered by existing potential alternative hosts of major stem borer species that may be recommended as natural refugia. They have also mapped the potential refugia at a district level to identify regions where structured refugia may be necessary. To complement the researchers' efforts and increase the chances that the Bt maize and refugia concept will be accepted by the farmers, the IRMA scientists organized a workshop to get the farmers input, with the following objectives: (1) Create awareness in Kenya about the development of insect resistant maize through conventional and Bt gene-based resistance. (2) Sensitize researchers, extension officers, and farmers to the importance of refugia in the management of insect resistance. (3) Share information about research, adoption, production, utilization, and distribution of pastures/fodders in the Kenyan coastal region. (4) Share information from the ongoing KARI/CIMMYT IRMA project collaborative field and laboratory trials on refugia. (5) Identify potential refugia species for stem borers and management strategies to be tested on-station and on-farm, derived from the experiences of researchers, extension officers, and farmers. (6) Harmonize researchers, extension, and farmer performance and process indicators, and develop frameworks for participatory monitoring and evaluation he workshop title was "Integration of pastures, fodders and cereal crops as refugia for stem borers in the farming systems of the humid coastal Kenya." The basis of the theme is the importance of livestock in coastal Kenya. More than 90% of the farmers in the coastal region keep livestock, and pastures and fodders are the main source of livestock feeds. The most abundant pastures/fodders for cattle at the coast are natural pastures (a mixture of grasses and local legumes, including trees and shrubs), napier grass, star grass, panicum and comellina. Sorghum, maize, pearl millet and foxtail millet are also grown by only a few farmers, but their area could be increased by sensitizing the farmers to their usefulness and by introducing improved varieties. Thirty-two participants (12 farmers, nine extensionists, and12 researchers) attended the workshop. The extension staff and farmers were representatives from the major districts of Coast Province. The workshop was very participatory. An exercise was conducted to rank refugia species in the IRMA experimental plots at KARl Mtwapa by the 3 groups of participants and their respective criteria (farmers, extensionists, and researchers). Not surprisingly, different rankings emerged. The farmers' five best refugia species in ranked order were the local maize variety Mdzihana, local sorghum Brown 2, Napier 16837, and Pioneer maize. The species preferred by researchers were local sorghum Deep Red 9, pearl millet, and Pioneer maize, while extension staff chose three local sorghum varieties (Red, White, and Brown), and Columbus grass. The criteria for ranking refugia was based on the crop being able to resist borer attack, availability of seed and usefulness as livestock feed and food. The researchers and extension staff used the level of damage by stem borers as the major criteria for selecting refugia. When the criteria produced by the three groups were combined, the common aggregate criteria were resistance to stem borers, alternative uses, and the ability to attract and support stem borers. The farmers also mentioned availability of seed as an important criterion that should not be ignored. Other information presented during the workshop included previous and ongoing research on pastures/ fodders; the farming systems of the Coast Province; major fodders/forages grown by farmers (their yields, nutritional value, and preferred varieties); and types of natural pastures/fodders and grasses (their distribution and percent of area covered). Participants shared their experiences in growing and utilizing the pastures and fodders. A ground-level perspective was provided through a visit to two livestock farmers near the KARI-Mtwapa Center. Similar workshops are planned for other maize growing areas including Embu, Kakamega, and Kitale. In conclusion, it was reinforced that farmers use their own criteria for judging technologies, and that these vary in different areas. We documented the criteria used to choose forage plants and the preferred potential refugia species for the humid coastal region. These criteria may be used as indicators to measure success or failure of projects. In concert with farmers and extensionists, new areas of research areas were identified. viii The workshop title was "Integration of pastures, fodders and cereal crops as refugia for stem borers in the farming systems of the humid coastal Kenya." The basis of the theme is the importance of livestock in coastal Kenya. More than 90% of the farmers in the coastal region keep livestock, and pastures and fodders are the main source of livestock feeds. The most abundant pastures/ fodders for cattle at the coast are natural pastures (a mixture of grasses and local legumes, including trees and shrubs), napier grass, star grass, panicum and comellina. Sorghum, maize, pearl millet and foxtail millet are also grown by only a few farmers, but their area could be increased by sensitizing the farmers to their usefulness and by introducing improved varieties. Thirty-two participants (12 farmers, nine extensionists, and12 researchers) attended the workshop. The extension staff and farmers were representatives from the major districts of Coast Province. The workshop was very participatory. An exercise was conducted to rank refugia species in the IRMA experimental plots at KARl Mtwapa by the 3 groups of participants and their respective criteria (farmers, extensionists, and researchers). Not surprisingly, different rankings emerged. The farmers' five best refugia species in ranked order were the local maize variety Mdzihana, local sorghum Brown 2, Napier 16837, and Pioneer maize. The species preferred by researchers were local sorghum Deep Red 9, pearl millet, and Pioneer maize, while extension staff chose three local sorghum varieties (Red, White, and Brown), and Columbus grass. The criteria for ranking refugia was based on the crop being able to resist borer attack, availability of seed and usefulness as livestock feed and food. The researchers and extension staff used the level of damage by stem borers as the major criteria for selecting refugia. When the criteria produced by the three groups were combined, the common aggregate criteria were resistance to stem borers, alternative uses, and the ability to attract and support stem borers. The farmers also mentioned availability of seed as an important criterion that should not be ignored. Other information presented during the workshop included previous and ongoing research on pastures/fodders; the farming systems of the Coast Province; major fodders/forages grown by farmers (their yields, nutritional value, and preferred varieties); and types of natural pastures/fodders and grasses (their distribution and percent of area covered). Participants shared their experiences in growing and utilizing the pastures and fodders. A ground-level perspective was provided through a visit to two livestock farmers near the KARI-Mtwapa Center. Similar workshops are planned for other maize growing areas including Embu, Kakamega, and Kitale. In conclusion, it was reinforced that farmers use their own criteria for judging technologies, and that these vary in different areas. We documented the criteria used to choose forage plants and the preferred potential refugia species for the humid coastal region. These criteria may be used as indicators to measure success or failure of projects. In concert with farmers and extensionists, new areas of research areas were identified.
Publication - Sixth Stakeholders Meeting: Insect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA II) Project(KARI, 2006) Mugo, S.N.; Poland, D.; Mulaa, M.; Ouya, D.; Gichuki, S.T.The Insect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA) project is a joint venture between the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), with financial support from the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA) and the Rockefeller Foundation (RF). The project is a response to the need to feed Africa’s rapidly increasing population by reducing the damage caused by the continent’s major insect pest of maize, the stem borer. IRMA is being implemented initially in Kenya, but the results and experiences gained through the project will be made available to other African countries. The overarching goals of the project are to develop insect resistant maize varieties for the major Kenyan maize-growing environments, and to establish procedures to provide insect resistant maize to resource-poor farmers in Kenya. During the implementation of the IRMA project, relevant technologies will be transferred to KARI and continuously evaluated. For effectiveness and efficiency in its functions, the IRMA Project phase II has ten themes as listed below: 1. Bt maize event analysis, Bt source line development, and human health safety assessment. 2. Development of conventional and Bt products, and compositional analysis. 3. Environmental impact assessment. 4. Insect resistance management and contingency plans. 5. Regulatory Issues. 6. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and technology licensing. 7. Seed Production. 8. Market assessment and analysis. 9. Economic impact assessment. 10. Communication / promotion, training & Administration Research activities in the IRMA project started in August 1999, and the project was publicly launched at the first Stakeholders Meeting, held in March 2000. Review and Planning meetings and Steering Committee meetings have been held annually, and six stakeholder meetings have been held once every year during the course of the project. These meetings enable all involved to be informed of progress and to contribute to the direction the project should take. All of these meetings as well as progress are well documented in publications and a quarterly newsletter, which allows the lessons and experiences gained in Kenya to be shared with other African countries.
Publication - Third Stakeholders Meeting: insect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA) project(KARI, 2002) Hoisington, D.A.; Mulaa, M.; Poland, D.; Mugo, S.N.The Insect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA) project is aims to produce stem borer resistant and locally adapted maize for various Kenyan agroecological zones, using conventional and biotechnology-mediated methods, especially Bt technology. Transgenic maize containing Bacillus thuringenesis (Bt) is a focal point of the project, prompting project organizers to emphasize public involvement and awareness through events such as the Stakeholders Meeting. The IRMA project was publicly launched on March 3, 2000 with the convening of the first Stakeholders' Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. That meeting was attended by about 100 people, representing different stakeholder groups, including farmers' associations, women's groups, religious organizations, seed producers, regulatory agencies, NGOs, the media, and others. Representatives of the project collaborators, CIMMYT and the Kenyan Agricultural Research Institute (KARl), as well as the primary donor, the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (at that time, the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development) were also on hand. The specific objectives of the first stakeholders' meeting were to (1) introduce the IRMA project to stakeholders; (2) create awareness about the economic importance of stem borers in Kenyan agriculture; (3) create awareness about the control options for stem borers, including conventional and novel approaches like the Bt technology; and (4) solicit responses from stakeholders on the need for and processes of developing insect resistant maize for Kenya. The stakeholders expressed their desire that the project incorporate sound management strategies and that it follow the national regulations strictly during introduction and testing of Bt maize technology in the country. The near universal view was that we could only evaluate Bt maize technology if it is in the country. Bt maize was viewed as having high potential for closing the wide and increasing food deficit in Kenya.
Publication - Evaluation of stem borer resistance management strategies for Bt maize in Kenya based on alternative host refugia(Academic Journals, 2011) Mulaa, M.; Bergvinson, D.J.; Mugo, S.N.; Wanyama, J.; Tende, R.; De Groote, H.; Tadele TeferaStem borers are the major insect pests of maize in Kenya. The use of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) technology is an effective way of controlling lepidopteran pests. However, the likelihood of development of resistance to the Bt toxins by the target stem borer species is a concern. Forages, sorghum and maize varieties were evaluated for stem borer preference and survivorship in the laboratory and field in four locations in Kenya to identify suitable species and varieties for refugia. The economics of using the different kinds of refugia was also investigated. Vegetation surveys were conducted in 15 districts of Kenya to quantify the area covered by natural refugia. The field and laboratory trials indicated highest egg production, survivorship and more exit holes in all sorghum and maize varieties and some forages. Sorghum, non-Bt Maize, and improved Napier grass varieties Kakamega 1 and Kakamega 2) should be promoted as refugia species in Kenya. Some species and cultivars were identified as cost-effective, flexible, easily adoptable and compatible with farmers? common production practices. Refugia cultivar with multiple uses is expected to give higher pay-offs than one with single use. However, for successful management of a refugia strategy, strict stewardship is required from appropriate government or community institutions.
Publication - Developing Bt maize for resource-poor farmers - Recent advances in the IRMA project(Academic Journals, 2005) Mugo, S.N.; De Groote, H.; Bergvinson, D.J.; Mulaa, M.; Songa, J.M.; Gichuki, S.T.This paper presents an overview of the advances in the IRMA project, which develops insect resistant maize varieties for resource-poor farmers, using both conventional breeding and genetic engineering. The project started in 1999 and is active in product development, impact assessment, and communication, all within the Kenya regulatory framework. So far, four application for introduction of tissue or commencement of field research were made to and approved by the National Biosafety Committee (NBC), and Bt maize leaves or seeds genes imported for testing against different stem borer species in bioassays on cut leaves in a biosafety laboratory, in potted plants in a Biosafety Greenhouse, and as whole plants in confined field trials in the Open Quarantine Station (OQS) at KARI Kiboko. All these biosafety facilities were specially built by the project for these evaluations. So far, good control has been realized against four of the five major stem borer species: Chilo partellus, Chilo orichalcociliellus, Eldana saccharina and Sesamia calamistis. Economic impact assessment demonstrated that stem borers are major constraints and cause substantial losses. Resistant maize varieties are likely to be adopted and to provide major returns to the investment if resistance against the economically most important species, Busseola fusca, can be found. Otherwise, returns would still be positive but small. Environmental impact research indicate that build-up of resistance against the Bt genes has not developed after that sufficient natural refugia exist in most areas, but suitable strategies acceptable to farmers need to be developed for some. Surveys, stakeholders meetings and other communications indicate that farmers, consumers and other stakeholders are cautiously optimistic about technology. Frequent interaction with the stakeholders and regulatory agencies assures a participative decision-making process and compliance with the strictest scientific and regulatory standards.
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