July 5th, 2005 will mark the first day that Imidazolinone-Resistant maize (IR-maize), or the Clearfield system, will be used. Eight years of research will culminate in a launch in Kisumu, Kenya, and in a ceremony to be presided over by Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) Director Dr. Romano Kiome.

IR-maize, developed by breeding, protects the crop from Striga, a parasitic weed that has caused major problems for Sub-Saharan African farmers for over 70 years. Various control methods have been exercised over the years, but none have been effective in attacking the weed before its emergence. The new technology does exactly that: germinating Striga is killed before it can infect maize roots, and remaining seeds of the weed are destroyed, reducing weed numbers dramatically.