Resistance of -maize (MON810) against the stem borers (Fuller) and (Swinhoe) and its yield performance in Kenya.

A study was conducted to assess the performance of maize hybrids with event MON810 (-hybrids) against the maize stem borer (Fuller) in a biosafety greenhouse (BGH) and against the spotted stem borer (Swinhoe) under confined field trials (CFT) in Kenya for three seasons during 2013-2014. The study comprised 14 non-commercialized hybrids (seven pairs of near-isogenic and non- hybrids) and four non-Bt commercial hybrids. Each plant was artificially infested twice with 10 first instar larvae.

The VIRCA Project: virus resistant cassava for Africa.

The VIRCA (Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa) project is a collaborative program between the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, USA the National Crops Resources Research Institute, Uganda and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Kenya. VIRCA is structured to include all aspects of the intellectual property, technology, regulatory, biosafety, quality control, communication and distribution components required for a GM crop development and delivery process. VIRCA's goal is to improve cassava for resistance to the viral diseases cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) and cassava mosaic disease (CMD) using pathogen-derived RNAi technology, and to field test, obtain regulatory approval for and deliver these products to small landholder farmers.

Consuming cassava as a staple food places children 2-5 years old at risk for inadequate protein intake, an observational study in Kenya and Nigeria.

Background: Inadequate protein intake is known to be deleterious in animals. Using WHO consensus documents for human nutrient requirements, the protein:energy ratio (P:E) of an adequate diet is > 5%. Cassava has a very low protein content.

Children consuming cassava as a staple food are at risk for inadequate zinc, iron, and vitamin A intake.

Cassava contains little zinc, iron, and beta-carotene, yet it is the primary staple crop of over 250 million Africans. This study used a 24-hour dietary recall to test the hypothesis that among healthy children aged 2-5 years in Nigeria and Kenya, cassava's contribution to the childrens' daily diets is inversely related to intakes of zinc, iron, and vitamin A. Dietary and demographic data and anthropometric measurements were collected from 449 Kenyan and 793 Nigerian children.