Insect resistant maize for Africa: anual report 2000

Abstract

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 (KARl), with financial support from the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development. It responds to the need to feed Africa's rapidly increasing population by reducing the damage incurred by the region's major insect pest of maize, 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 KARl and continuously evaluated.