Screen (left)/glass (right) house for BBTV phenotyping Banana is an important crop serving millions of households as a staple food and source of income in East Africa. It drives food security, nutrition, and rural livelihoods across the region, with its value deeply integrated in smallholder farming systems and local markets. But the…
Lost Hope: A smallholder farmer’s banana garden severely devastated by Banana Bunchy Top Disease (BBTD), resulting in the loss of most plants. Banana farmers on Ukerewe Island, Tanzania, faced disaster when banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) swept through, wiping out over 90% of the crop and threatening the island’s main…
Banana farmers on Ukerewe Island, Tanzania, faced disaster when banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) swept through, wiping out over 90% of the crop and threatening the island’s main food and income source. For this remote community, bananas are a staple food and a lifeline. As livelihoods were threatened, a partnership…
From Near Collapse to Coordinated Recovery On Ukerewe Island in Tanzania, bananas are more than a staple crop; they underpin household food security, income, and cultural identity. Yet by 2023, Banana Bunchy Top Disease (BBTD), caused by the Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV), had pushed the island’s banana systems to…
Seeds are essential agricultural inputs in food production, biodiversity conservation, and overall crop yield. However, seeds can carry plant pathogens and serve as vehicles for pathogen spread, naturally and through formal and informal seed distribution, from one season to the next, and within and between geographies. The global spread of…
Strengthening national capacities and partnerships to protect banana production 22/04/2025 Rome – Bananas are a lifeline for millions of smallholder farmers in Africa and worldwide, with over 1 000 varieties produced, traded, and consumed locally. However, destructive diseases such as Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race 4 (TR4) and banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV)…