Identification of banana diseases and their spread using remote sensing and smartphonesThe Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT is using drone imaging in combination with open-source satellite images to identify bananas in mixed crop landscapes in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and in southern Benin. Once banana plants are identified, researchers use advanced algorithms and machine learning to distinguish healthy plants … Read More

Alliance for Banana Bunchy Top Disease Control in AfricaThe 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 teams to … Read More

Global cooperation fights a potentially devastating banana pandemicA potentially devastating banana disease (Fusarium TR4) is now spreading across the tropics, threatening the livelihoods of smallholders and large commercial farmers alike, especially growers of Cavendish, the main variety of dessert banana. There have been efforts to understand and control this devastating disease, but a real solution will require international cooperation across … Read More

Weathering the storm with sweetpotatoes and other root cropsAs a ground hugging crop that produces food underground, the sweetpotato is ideal for resisting the ravages of tropical storms. And thanks to its short cycle, planting the sweetpotato after extreme weather events has helped farmers bounce back from shocks like Cyclone Idai in Mozambique and Typhoon Ompong in the Philippines. Sweetpotato … Read More

Better pest management by understanding gender differencesInterdisciplinary teams of scientists across the CGIAR’s Roots, Tubers and Bananas Program (RTB) studied how women and men perceive and manage pests and diseases differently and how this matters in the adoption of crop protection technologies. Without considering gender, innovations will not reach all farmers.  A gender perspective can enhance the design and scaling … Read More