Alliance to control the escalating threat of banana bunchy top disease in Africa
- Understand the bunchy top disease epidemiology and ecology for a better knowledge on factors driving the disease spread
- Develop appropriate management packages to delay the spread and manage the disease in endemic areas
- Develop and distribute sensitive diagnostic tools, and develop capacity for disease recognition and knowledge of control options.
- Augment host resistance to the virus and explore biocontrol options to manage aphid vector
- Establish location-specific clean banana production and distribution systems, and train farmers and entrepreneurs in producing clean planting material
- Train African scientists to continue surveillance on the extent of disease incidence to update the spatial distribution map of BBTV spread in SSA
- Exert efforts to mobilize the resources necessary for a sustained and long-term initiative to achieve this mission
Strengthening the preparedness of West and Central Africa to control banana bunch top virus and banana Fusarium wilt
Lomé – Across Africa, bananas are a vital crop for millions of smallholder farmers, but the spread of transboundary plant diseases like banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) and Fusarium wilt Tropical Race 4 (TR4) poses a serious threat to economic growth and sustainable development on the continent. The Central and Western African…
Awareness creation meeting on BBTD: presentation of response plan against BBTD
Plantain is one of the most important food crops, contributing 16% of farmers’ incomes and 4.5% to agricultural GDP in Cameroon. It is one of the priority crops included in Cameroon’s development strategy (SND30) for increasing production and reducing importation. However, plantain cultivation faces banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) caused…
Defending East Africa against banana bunchy top disease
With recent outbreaks in Tanzania and Uganda, banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) emerged as a significant threat to banana crops in East Africa. The disease, caused by the banana bunchy top virus (BBTV), can lead to yield losses of 70 to 90% in the first season, with subsequent seasons seeing…
Joint comprehensive strategies to combat banana bunchy top outbreak in East Africa
The invasion of banana bunchy top virus (BBTV), the causal agent of the lethal bunchy top disease of banana and plantain, threatens Africa’s most crucial banana production region in East Africa. The virus spread, confirmed in the 2020s in Tanzania and Uganda, is expanding fast. For instance, the delimitation survey…
Putting the brakes on spread of Banana Bunchy Top disease threatening banana production in Tanzania
Strengthening capacities to contain and control the disease will safeguard food and livelihood security Banana production is a major contributor to Tanzania’s economy, in fact, it is one of the most important crops that bolsters the country’s agribusiness subsector which is projected to grow by 10 percent by 2030 –…
Workshop on Developing Contingency Measures against BBTV and FoC TR4 in Southern Africa
A workshop on strengthening the preparedness and emergency management of Banana Fusarium wilt (TR4) and Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) for Southern African countries was organized from 5 to 9 June 2023 by FAO, with the financial support of the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA)-USAID. The workshop brought together representatives…