Improving drought tolerance of crop plants is predicted to have positive impacts on world wide food production, and include benefits of reduced water consumption, environmental sustainability, and improved yields in water limited environments. We report here a biotechnology approach to modify drought tolerance in maize by introducing constitutively expressed transgenes. We also present the results from two years of multiple - location, controlled - drought, field trials which demonstrate the ability of these genes to improve yield response to water stress. An overview of current field testing programs and general development activities required for deployment of products with improved drought stress tolerance in Maize will be presented.