Summary : The workshop was part of an effort to ensure that Africa reaps the benefits of new advances in agricultural technology. It focused on maize because effectively controlling or eliminating the various factors that reduce maize yields in Africa will help contribute to greater self-sufficiency and stability in the region. The MSV project will improve the household food security and socioeconomic status of resource-poor farmers, especially women, who produce 75% of food crops. The project will make its impact, moreover, through sustainable agricultural practices. Institutions from the North and South including the private sector are working together to combat MSV and to stabilize maize yields and prices. Through this collaboration, KARI has already developed a multidisciplinary team of researchers who have access to some of the latest biotechnology techniques: agroinoculation, molecular markers, DNA polymorphism analysis, and other related skills. This technology and expertise is providing a better understanding of the pathology of MSV and of the genetic basis of resistance.