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
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…
Remote-sensing models to enhance Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) surveillance in Africa
The IITA–CGIAR team has published a method using drones and satellite imager-based remote sensing approaches for mapping banana farms to guide surveillance for the detection and mapping of the banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) spread and support data-informed decision-making on BBTV containment strategies in sub-Saharan Africa. The study, Banana Mapping in Heterogenous Smallholder Farming Systems…
IITA trains ministry officials on eradicating Banana bunchy top virus in Tanzania
As part of efforts to curb the spread of the invasive Banana Bunchy Top disease (BBTD) in Tanzania, IITA–CGIAR, in partnership with the Tanzanian Plant Health and Pesticide Authority (TPHPA) and Tanzania Agriculture Research Institute (TARI), convened a three-day workshop in the first week of November 2022 to train targeted key…
Bunchy top disease emerges as new threat to East African bananas
Africa’s leading banana production region is threatened by the invasive spread of the banana bunchy top virus (BBTV). The virus occurrence in East African countries was recorded in 2021, and the virus spread is unabated in the region. Urgent regional action is required to halt the expansion of the most lethal banana…
Alliance for Banana Bunchy Top Disease Control in Africa
The banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) has now spread to 16 African countries, threatening the livelihoods of 70 million banana farmers and imperiling the diversity of the varieties they grow. RTB has coordinated the Alliance for Banana Bunchy Top Disease (BBTD) Control in Africa. This unique initiative aligned international, multi-stakeholder…