An Investigation into Maize Lethal Necrosis Severity Mapping in Kenya using RapidEye and Landsat-8

Abstract

Introduction Total population of the Kenya at 2014 was 45.5 Million individuals that the share of rural and urban area was 74.4% and 25.6% respectively. Within the crop income category, maize with horticultural crops, covering 14% of total household income in Kenya. At the same time, coffee and tea account for a combined 5.6% of total gross income. In the mid-1970s maize accounted for about 35% of the value of total crop production in Kenya while in the late 1990s, it reduced to 28% of the value of total crop production (Olwande, Sikei et al. 2009). Since 2008 the area under cereal production increased ~ 647,762 ha and the cereal production reached 1,446,328 tonnes. Maize farming is the backbone of food