More than three decades of systematic research by the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) have enabled the rapid development and successful transfer of maize technology in Kenya, which parallels the rapid spread of hybrid maize in the USA. However, during this time, significant land reform and other socioeconomic changes have occurred. The Kenya Maize Data Base Project (MDBP) was established in 1992 with the help of the Rockefeller Foundation and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), to utilize the latest technology in order to meet the challenges presented by these changes. This book describes in detail the development and uses of this database, which integrates Geographical Information Systems (GIS) data with biological data, socioeconomic statistics (including interviews with farmers) and agroclimatic information. The data base is a powerful planning tool for targeting new technology to the needs of farmers; it enables KARI to measure the extent of maize cultivation, characterize agroclimatic zones, and further superimpose corresponding datasets. The findings have international implications and are essential reading for maize agronomists, crop modelers, agricultural and development economists, extension workers and planners and will be of interest to all users of GIS.