Insect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA) project: annual report 2002

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 (KARI), with financial support from the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture. It responds to the need to feed Africa’s rapidly increasing population by reducing the damage incurred 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. The specific objectives of the project are as follows: (1) Product Development: Develop insect resistant maize varieties for the major insect pests found in Kenyan maize production systems. (2) Product Dissemination: Establish procedures for providing insect resistant maize to resource poor farmers in Kenya. (3) Impact Assessment: Assess the impact of insect resistant maize varieties in Kenyan agricultural systems. (4) Technology Transfer: Transfer technologies to KARI and Kenya to develop, evaluate, disseminate, and monitor insect resistant maize varieties. (5) Documentation and Plan, monitor, and document processes and achievements for dissemination Communication: to the Kenyan public and developing countries.