Experts meet in Abuja to tackle Striga

Maize farm devastated by Striga

Researchers and partners working under the Integrated Striga Management in Africa (ISMA) project will converge on Hotel De Bently, Abuja, 21-23 May 2014 to review milestones reached and discuss strategies for moving forward in the battle against parasitic weed Striga. This weed attacks cereals and legumes and losses are in the neighborhood of $8bn, endangering the livelihoods of millions of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.
The work planning meeting will evaluate the successes, challenges and opportunities of the ISMA project, identify gaps and plan how to implement the decisions so as to successfully scale out the Striga management technologies to rural farmers in the next coming year.  Over 70 participants are expected at this gathering and will include scientists from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), CIMMYT, icipe, and other research institutes, project leaders from across Africa and beyond, partners in the public and private sectors, as well as farmers of cereal and legume crops.
ISMA Project Manager, Dr Mel Oluoch said the meeting would promote stronger linkages between project partners.

For media enquiries, contact: Ada Umeokoro, a.umeokor@cgiar.org; Kathy Lopez, k.lopez@cgiar.org; or Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org

 

Researchers successfully grow “seed yams in the air”

L-R: Dr Maroya, Annang, Asiedu, Aighewi and members of the press at
 the unveiling of the new seed yam propagation technique in IITA Ibadan

Researchers at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) have successfully grown seed yams in the air using aeroponics technology, raising hopes and more options for the propagation of virus- and disease-free planting materials.

In preliminary trials, Dr Norbert Maroya, Project Manager for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded “Yam Improvement for Incomes and Food Security in West Africa (YIIFSWA) project at IITA, together with a team of scientists successfully propagated yam by directly planting vine cuttings in Aeroponics System (AS) boxes to produce mini-tubers in the air.

Aeroponics System is the process of growing plants in an air or mist environment without the use of soil or an aggregate medium. The technology is widely used by commercial potato seed producers in eastern Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania etc.), and southern Africa (Mozambique, Malawi etc.) but successfully growing yam on aeroponics is a novelty for rapidly multiplying the much needed clean seed yam tubers in large quantities.

“With this approach we are optimistic that farmers will begin to have clean seed yams for better harvest,” Dr Maroya said on Friday.

Preliminary results showed that vine rooting in Aeroponics System had at least 95% success rate compared to vine rooting in carbonized rice husk with a maximum rate of 70%. Rooting time was much shorter in aeroponics.

Aeroponics is coming at an opportune time for African farmers. Traditionally, seed yam production is expensive and inefficient. Farmers save about 25 to 30% of their harvest for planting the same area in the following season, meaning less money in their pockets.

Moreover, these saved seeds are often infested with pathogens that significantly reduce farmers’ yield year after year.

However with an established Aeroponics System for seed yam propagation at the premises of an interested private investor, seed company or humanitarian nongovernmental organization; yam producers can have access to clean seed yams.

The soilless yam propagation system will increase the productivity of seed and ware yam and effectively reduce diseases and pests incidence and severity (no soil borne or vector-transmitted pests and diseases during the vegetative phase).

Dr Robert Asiedu, IITA Director for Western Africa described the results as “impressive.”

“Yam is an important crop in Africa and addressing the seeds’ constraint will go a long way in improving the livelihoods of farmers who depend on the crop for their livelihood,” he added.

In conducting the aeroponics trial, a special structure was built in an existing screen house with Dixon shelf frames using perforated styrofoam box, as support for plant vines, while the developing roots of the plants in the air were enclosed in conditions of total darkness to simulate the situation of soil to the roots. For the plant and tuber to develop, an automated power house system was established for atomizing periodically nutrient enriched water solution in the form of mist to feed the plants.

CGIAR restates pledge to support Sierra Leone to develop agriculture

Sierra Leone has received a high-level commitment from CGIAR that the global network of international agricultural research will support the country’s agricultural reform program.
The pledge to support Sierra Leone came after a 3-day consultative dialog that sought to set the vision for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation in promoting agriculture, fisheries, and industrial development.

Dr Marco Wopereis of AfricaRice Center, who represented Dr Frank Rijsberman, the Chief Executive Officer of the Consortium, said, “CGIAR is also ready to assist Sierra Leonean research institutes in developing 10-year research strategies and 5-year rolling implementation plans to ensure highly relevant research, while building a strong science capacity in Sierra Leone and mobilizing global knowledge in these areas.”

 CGIAR centers present at the dialog which ended in the capital Freetown on 13 November included the World Agroforestry Center, IITA, AfricaRice, and CIAT. Others to be brought on board are ILRI and WorldFish.

The plan is to assist Sierra Leone in putting into practice the development strategies for key commodities, in particular rice, cassava, forestry products, livestock, and aquaculture.

Over 200 participants, including cabinet ministers, heads of MDAs, development partners, members of parliament, private sector players, farmers’ organizations, and civil society activists, participated in the dialog.

Dr Kenton Dashiell, IITA Deputy Director General (Partnerships and Capacity Development) and Braima James, IITA Country Coordinator for Sierra Leone, represented IITA at the consultative dialog.

The mandate of the dialog, according to President Koroma in his closing address, was to set out a 5-year integrated and comprehensive program and action plan for promoting agriculture, fisheries, and industry in Sierra Leone.

He told the participants, “I am reliably informed that all participants have demonstrated great commitment to achieving this objective, and we now have a rough draft of what needs to be done. I applaud all of you for your worthy contributions.” The President paid glowing tribute to the cooperation of development partners who participated in the dialog, including World Bank, CGIAR, FARA, and CORAF. “We also applaud the contributions of our compatriots, the special advisers, my Ministers, and the staff of the MDAs. You have all done a great job,” he said.

President Koroma reiterated his Government’s commitment to meeting the objectives of the 3-day landmark conference with regard to all challenges that the workshop was trying to address, adding, “It is only in an ideal world of unlimited resources and capacities that we can do all that needs to be done.”

Professor Monty Jones, Coordinator of the conference, said the consultative dialog discussed various issues to come up with the actions and activities needed to develop the comprehensive and inclusive  5-year program. This will be implemented through collaboration among various arms of Government and Ministries: Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Fisheries and Marine Resources, Trade and Industry, Education, Science and Technology, Health and Sanitation and Youth Affairs.

Finding Practical Solutions for ARTS

Cassava farmers

2011 Borlaug LEAP Fellow Armand Doumtsop wants to find practical solutions to the problem of ARTS (African root and tuber scale). Tropical root and tuber crops are major staples in sub-Saharan Africa. These crops are largely produced by smallholder farmers.  Pests, such as African root and tuber scale (ARTS), are a major threat to farmer’s livelihoods. The economic consequences are serious in the Congo Basin where it can cause cassava yield losses of up to 100%.   Doumtsop research is looking at the genetics of this scale insect and the implications for the development of host plant resistance.

Armand Doumtsop, a PhD candidate at the University of Yaounde in Cameroon, used his Borlaug LEAP Fellowship to expand his professional network and develop his skills in morphological and molecular techniques.  Under the direction of Dr Benjamin Normark, he traveled to the University of Massachusetts – Amherst and, using state of the art equipment, trained in Dr Normark’s lab for six months.  The fellowship also allowed Doumtsop to survey a wide area of the Congo basin, investigate the pest problem and collect samples. His CGIAR mentor, Dr Rachid Hanna from IITA-Cameroon, supervised the fieldwork.

The research that Armand Doumtsop conducted under the Borlaug LEAP fellowship has shown that, contrary to established knowledge, this insect turns out to be a complex of species. This conclusion is based in part on evidence from Doumtsop’s painstaking morphological comparisons and anchored in the molecular genetics information he generated at the Normark lab.

Understanding ARTS diversity is only the beginning of developing evidence-based knowledge about its biology and ecology that can be used in the development of innovative management options that will limit the pest’s impact on crops.  These management options (e.g., host plant resistance and biological control) are specific to the insect and how it interacts with its host plant and antagonists.

Doumtsop plans to use his research results to develop sustainable options for pest management by providing decision-support tools, including a pest risk map and keys to develop host plant resistance in cassava and other tuber crops. This will contribute to increased yields and enhance food security and income generation for local communities.

Following completion of his PhD program, Doumtsop hopes to be involved in research projects that will contribute to food security in his native Cameroon.  He plans to transfer the knowledge he acquired during his fellowship through collaborative research, teaching of students and training of farmers’ groups.

 

Researchers from Ghana and Nigeria get training

Participants with Dr Dashiell (middle) in a group photo

Fourteen senior laboratory technicians from Ghana and Nigeria have been trained on Good Laboratory Practices and Laboratory Information Management Systems (GLP-LIMS) for soil and plant analytical laboratories.
   The training which took place at IITA-Ibadan from September 1 to 13, 2013 was organized by the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) in collaboration  with IITA. In attendance were laboratory technicians (5 from Ghana and 9 from Nigeria) who are either supervising or managing analytical laboratories in their respective countries.
   Addressing participants at the end of the training, Dr Kenton Dashiell, IITA Deputy Director General, Partnerships and Capacity Development called on participants to utilize the skills learnt to tackle the constraints to agricultural productivity.
   Linking agriculture to social stability in Africa, Dr Dashiell said, “Africa is passing through an exciting time as governments in the region are waking up to support agriculture... And when we get the agricultural sector right, we won’t be running after our youths.”
   The GLP training is a train-the-trainers program. Some of the course participants will be used in  organizing in-country training in Soil and Plant analysis upon their return to their countries. Areas of emphasis in the training included the preparation and  use of control samples, sample exchange program, use of standard operating procedures, networking for trouble shooting of analytical problems, laboratory safety, and the interpretation of analytical results for fertilizer recommendations to farmers. Participants were also trained on the use of computer software for Laboratory Information Management (LIM), and running the laboratory as a business. Each participant was given a set of certified reference samples to assist them in monitoring the quality of their laboratory analysis.
   “We believe that the improved credibility of the laboratory results will encourage small-scale farmers and others (e.g.,food scientists and environmentalists) to patronize the laboratories thus enabling the farmers to better benefit from fertilizer use,” says Mr Joseph Uponi, Manager, IITA Analytical Services Laboratory.
   The training is the second in the series. In March 2013, IITA conducted a similar training for technicians in soil and plant analysis, thanks to the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa for providing funds.

Lifting Africans out of poverty with IITA’s holistic approach

A farmer cultivating improved Soy bean

An insight into a redefined strategy by IITA to address the immense issues of poverty, under nutrition and untenable agricultural practices and use of natural resources in Africa was provided by its Deputy Director for Research and Development, Dr Ylva Hillbur, during her visit to UWA Institute of Agriculture in August.
   Dr Hillbur’s public lecture showcased how strengthening the presence of IITA, the leading institute of agriculture in Africa, across the African continent and building stronger scientific research and development networks at national levels is already creating new opportunities for improved livelihoods in sustainable environments.
   IITA operates from 18 research stations across four regional hubs in West, Central, East and Southern Africa managed from Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia, respectively. Here, an international group of more than 120 scientists works on IITA’s‘research-for-development’ programs with an annual budget of 80 million US dollars, of which about 20 percent comes from the CGIAR Consortium. IITA, with its headquarters in Nigeria, is one of CGIAR’s research institutes, and the scientific focus of IITA’s strategy for Africa overlaps with priorities across many of CGIAR’s research programs (CRPs).
   IITA works on a whole-society approach to achieve its goal of lifting 11 million Africans out of poverty and developing 7.5 million hectares of land into sustainable use by 2020. Its success comes from quality research, translation of research, and commercialization of research outputs, but collaboration with national and local partners and serious efforts towards capacity development and gender equality are as important for long-term progress to be made.
   “From an agronomical perspective, we are challenged with low and further decreasing soil fertility, a high incidence of pests and pathogens, and undiversified cropping systems, leaving the systems vulnerable and leading to undiversified diets,” Dr Hillbur explained.
   IITA aims to generate impact by intensifying, diversifying, and improving cropping systems of many essential staple crops and grain legumes. Encouraging outcomes have already been achieved with the development of pro-vitamin A enriched ‘orange maize’, Striga resistant and drought-tolerant maize varieties, the cassava transformation program in Nigeria and the banana transformation project in Uganda, to name a few.
   Further attention to improve systems management, education and youth employment completes the holistic plan to combat the underlying issues of poverty in Africa.
   Dr Hillbur met Hackett Professor Kadambot Siddique, Director of UWA’s Institute of Agriculture and a member of the CGIAR Grain Legumes Independent Advisory Committee, at the launch of the Grain Legumes CRP in India early this year. During her visit Dr Hillbur discussed potential future areas of collaboration between IITA and UWA.

Global yam conference calls for more investments on yam R4D

Dr. Sanginga addressing participants at yam conference.

Increasing funding for research and development on yam will help unleash the potential of the crop, improve livelihoods, create jobs, and enhance food security in Africa.
   Researchers, policymakers, and representatives from the private sector at the first ever global yam conference in Accra, Ghana, say that recent investments in yam research are paying off, and demonstrating the crop’s greater potential than what is being realized.
“Sustaining and enhancing funding support for yam research and development backed by political will are needed to unlock the crop’s full potential,” said Director General Nteranya Sanginga.
   He praised the government of Japan, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD) for supporting IITA on yam research and called on researchers to develop a vision for the crop.
   Known as the ‘king of crops’ because of its contribution to incomes and food security, yam also has high cultural value especially in traditional marriages in Africa. However, the crop is under-researched due to low funding, limiting its potential for alleviating poverty.
   “If we attract more investments to advance and expand yam research globally, the anticipated benefits and impacts will be quite enormous,” said the Ghanaian Minister for Food and Agriculture, Clement Kofi Humado.
   Represented by the Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan, the minister said that there was a need to “soberly rethink through research-and-development, and invest our limited resources judiciously to ensure best results.”

Ghana hosts researchers working on roots and tubers

The city of Accra in Ghana is agog as researchers, farmers and development partners are strategizing ways to improve the competitiveness of root and tuber crops.
The conference is coming at a time when food security is at the front burner, and African countries are reforming their agricultural strategies with a view to feeding itself.
This year’s root and tuber symposium, organized by the International Society for Tropical Root Crops-Africa Branch (ISTRC- AB), attracted international partners, students, farmers and policy makers. Godwin Atser sought stakeholders’ opinions about the conference. Excerpts:

Mohammed Alfa, Ghana Deputy Minister, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology Innovation, addressing participants during the symposium in Ghana 

This conference provides a platform for younger scientists to express themselves, and that is already happening, says Prof Keith Tomlins (NRI).

Prof Tomlins

The conference is a success. We have seen the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) taking ownership of ISTRC, and this is a good development. It has been super…I also find the theme of the conference appropriate because we need to find ways of making the root and tuber crops competitive to benefit local farmers -- Elizabeth Parkes (IITA Cassava Breeder).

Dr Parkes

.

This year’s theme highlights what is badly needed in Africa. What is needed is not just increasing production but also effective and efficient processing technologies. We also have to link farmers to the market -- Dr Alfred Dixon, Director General, Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute.

Dr Dixon

The ISTRC-AB provides a very important space for the CGIAR to link to research in Africa. The conference theme is appropriate and it gives us a good opportunity for learning. In the future, we need to involve more of the private sector --
Thiele Graham (Program Leader, CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas).

Dr Graham

For the first time, we are having a theme that is addressing the competitiveness of the root and tuber crops. This makes me happy. Also we are having a lot of young champions making presentations. What this means is that we are beginning to build sustainability which is great -- Prof Lateef Sanni (FUNAAB)

 

Prof Sanni

The conference provides an opportunity for African scientists to tell the world what they think is important to them, highlight areas for future development and open up areas for engagement -- Loretta Byrnes (BMGF)

Byrnes

I like to thank all the donors that have supported us. Today, most researchers in agriculture are getting old. But coming here, I can see young researchers and the conference is now serving as a grooming ground. So there is future for research in Africa— Dr Richardson Okechukwu (IITA)

Okechukwu

We have seen a lot of presentations in this conference, and high number of students which is good. I can also see networking going on among researchers—Peter Kulakow

Kulakow

Farmers in twenty African countries get new window of opportunity to significantly increase yield

Participant at the SARD SC Side Event in Accra

Efforts to transform agriculture in Africa have received a boost as researchers met under the Support for Agricultural Research and Development of Strategic Crops (SARD-SC)’s event, “Partners, Possibilities and Prospects,” on 15 July 2013 at the 6th African Agricultural Science Week in Accra to draw more support from partners into project.
The SARD-SC project will raise the productivity of maize, cassava, wheat, and rice by 20% in twenty selected countries in Africa.
The plan is to reduce food importation from other continents and offer farmers better access to markets, improve livelihoods, and tackle poverty through enhanced capacities of beneficiaries to sustainable development in the region.
About a million farmers will directly benefit from the project through its innovations basket, while another million and half will be reached by project spin off effects. “Narrowing the yield gap is key for African farmers, and it will help them to compete globally and to feed themselves,” says Project Coordinator of SARD-SC, Dr Chrysantus Akem, from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).  
Funded by the African Development Bank with US$ 63.24 million, SARD-SC also aims to create knowledge on the tested innovations with farmers in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Drs Thomas Dubois, SARD SC Rice Commodity Specialist; and Solomon Assefa, SARD SC Wheat Commodity Specialist made presentations on rice and wheat strategies of the project.
The 5-year, multi-CGIAR center initiative will run until 2016, and will be co-implemented by three Africa-based CGIAR centers: IITA, Africa Rice Center, and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas. IITA is also the Executing Agency of the project. Another CGIAR center – the International Food Policy Research Institute – a specialized technical agency, will support the other three centers. ###
For more information, please contact: Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org; Chrysantus Akem, c.akem@iita.org  or Andrea Gros, a.gros@cgiar.org

Yam strategy for Nigeria underway

Researchers and partners met at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan last week to draw a strategy for yam for Nigeria. The strategy aims to put yam on the national agenda as the oil-rich nation embarks on efforts to transform its agricultural sector.
IITA convened the meeting and participants were drawn from other national research institutes such as the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), Lagos; the agricultural development programs (ADPs), the private sector and other key stakeholders/actors in the yam value chain.
Addressing participants at the workshop, Dr Robert Asiedu, IITA Director for West Africa reechoed the importance of yam not only in Nigeria, but also globally.
He said the need to draw a strategy for yam is driven by the desire to harness the exceptional qualities of the crop which are yet to be fully exploited for economic growth and food security.
"The strategy will guide us in ensuring synergies and focus on real priorities as we work with partners to unlock the potential of yams" he said.
With about 68 percent of global output coming from Nigeria, yam plays a key role in the country and the West Africa region as a whole, contributing to protein and dietary calorie intake. The crop is also used for cultural events including marriages and annual festivals.
However, yam production is declining in some traditional producing areas due to declining soil fertility, increasing pest pressures and the high cost of labor, Dr Asiedu said, a reason why a roadmap for the crop is imperative.
So far, Ghana has developed its strategy, paving the way for increased export and other industrial uses for the crop.
Dr Antonio Lopez, IITA Yam Breeder, said having a strategy for yam that would dovetail into the national agricultural policy of the government would bring several benefits to the country, including increase in economic development.
Participants commended IITA for convening the participatory meeting and bringing yam to the front burner. According to them, the strategy would enhance more coordinated efforts towards addressing the constraints to increased yam production in the country, and would give farmers the opportunity to improve their incomes and better their livelihoods.
The participatory meeting in Ibadan was co-facilitated by Ms Sylvia Oyinlola, IITA Regional Administrator for West Africa.
The yam strategy meeting in IITA Ibadan is coming ahead of the 6^th Africa Agriculture Science Week, which begins on 15 July 2013 and is being organized by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), in Ghana.

 

For more information, please contact: Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org

Simple technology supporting farmers to revive banana production in Burundi

Beatrice Bukuru, a member of the 'Tugurukire Kitoki' farmers group

in the group's communal land during a field day 

Beatrice Bukuru, 50, from Kassa village in Muyinga commune, Burundi, is a happy woman. She wasn't so happy three years ago. A deadly strange disease was ravaging her banana, threatening her ability to earn a living and feed her family.  Today, she is even the proud owner of two goats, bought through sales from the crop. 

So what has changed in three years?  Well, she joined a farmers group called 'Tugurukire kitoki' (rehabilitate banana) that has transformed the farming of this important food and staple crop in the region. 

She says the group started when the president of the group came back from training with a few banana plantlets of this new variety that is very high yielding. He also introduced a new technology of rapidly multiplying planting materials which are disease free so the new varieties could be quickly distributed to the other farmers. 

Usually, Beatrice and other small-holder banana farmers plant suckers, - the little banana plantlets growing at the side of the mother plant either from their own existing banana plants or borrowed from a neighbor. This is not only slow, as a plant can only produce about four to five suckers in a year, it also transfers pests and diseases from one farm to another.

However, with the new way of multiplying planting material, known as macro-propagation, a healthy sucker is cut into small pieces which are carefully planted in a nursery and when they are big enough, are transferred to the farms. One sucker if well prepared can produce up to 50 plantlets in three months.

The training on macro-propagation and on improved methods of growing banana were conducted by  a team from the  International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) working under an umbrella initiative that brings together many development partners to support the agricultural sector by the name Consortium for Improving Agriculture-based Livelihoods in Central Africa (CIALCA).  

They are a part of on-going efforts to control the spread of diseases and pest and in particular, the banana wilt and banana bunchy top disease which are spreading rapidly and destroying banana in the great Lakes region. All banana varieties are susceptible to the two diseases hence the need for concerted efforts by all.

According to Emmanuel Njukwe, the partnership associate scientist with IITA, banana is a key staple in Burundi for food and income the diseases were therefore a big threat to the already food insecure country which has a high population density. The diseases are spread by infected planting material, use of infected farming equipment, browsing animals and insects.

One way of getting disease free planting material is the use of tissue culture. However, according to Emmanuel, the farmers did not like the tissue culture bananas much which are small, delicate and require a lot of care. So they turned to macro-propagation and also developed the concept of ‘mother gardens’.

Demonstrating the banana macropropagation technology

during a field day

"We trained the farmers how to treat the suckers by placing them in boiling water for 30 seconds to get rid of pests such as nematodes and weevils. They then remove the sheath to expose the buds and meristem, the growing part of the plantlet, which they cut into small pieces. these are then grown in a nursery whose substrate has also been sterilized to get rid of pests," he said.  "We also help them with testing the mother plant to ensure they are virus free so they do not unknowingly spread the viruses."

The project has also been screening different banana varieties to identify those that can perform well under the local conditions and also meet farmers' preferences.  One such variety is the FHIA variety from and named after the Honduran Agricultural Research Foundation which is Fundación Hondureña de Investigación Agrícola (FHIA) in Spanish.

Tugurukire kitoki group has a collective farm where they are growing the new varieties FHIA and other local varieties with macro-propagation, they are able to plant all the banana at the same time and when they are ready for harvesting, call the buyers who come with lorries to collect.  Before the banana were planted with suckers of varying age and size at different times and got ready at interval.

They have opened a collective bank account to save the money from the sale of banana from their collective farm. They use it to pay school feeds for children, buy medicine and cater for other emergencies. The group has also been buying goats for the members to diversify their income and recently Beatrice got two.

Hubert Chauvet, the Country Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) one of the institutions working in Burundi to tackle the banana disease says the macro-propagation technology is cheap and simple enough for farmers to do it themselves. 

He said FAO had supported CIALCA and national partners in the first phase of coping with the banana wilt disease which involved creating awareness to farmers about the disease and control measures which included uprooting and destroying affected banana plants to halt the spread.

 "Now with macro-propagation, farmers are getting planting material fast and the disease situation is now slowly getting under control," he said.



Felix talks to journalists

The Tugurukire kitoki group is supporting other farmers in other parts of the country to embrace this new technology. One such group is Collectif des associations de development dans la commune Kibage (CADRE),  which is an association of 29 farmers. According to their vice president, Kanyakiro Felix, they have also started banana macro-propagation and so far they have four nurseries, multiplying 120 banana suckers of the FHIA variety. The group wants to increase to 6000 suckers and each group in the association to establish their own nursery.

Kanyakiro says with this technology and the training received on how to properly grow banana such as mulching and spacing, their banana production is starting to recover. "We did not have banana. They were destroyed by the disease. We are slowly recovering. And we now even want to go into juice processing."

Njukwe says the project has been very successful due to support from many farmers and the government as well and can be easily replicated to many parts of Africa where the two diseases are spreading rapidly. 

Barren soils threaten future of farming in the Great Lakes region

Bananas growing near a homestead. The crop's yields in Eastern Africa are low due to poor soils and low fertilizer - organic or inorganic-application by small-holder farmers.

Most of the soils in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa are poor with very little fertility left in them. This is one of the main reasons behind the low yields in the area, which has one of the lowest rates of fertilizer use in the world and a rapidly increasing population to feed, according to a recent study.

The barren soils are a result of years of mining and insufficient replacement of nutrients by small-holder farmers mostly practicing low-input agriculture. They  remain a threat to the future of small-holder farming and the food and income of millions of people in the region if appropriate action is not taken.

The study, which sought to identify and rank the constraints faced by small-holder banana growers in the region, also measured the actual nutrient content left in the soils―in both the organic and mineral part―across different agroecoregions in Rwanda and Uganda.

This was after establishing that poor soil fertility was one of the main causes of the current low banana yield of 5-30 tons/year against a potential yield of over 70 tons/year. It accounted for up to 50% of the yield gap.

The study found that there was little fertility left in most soils and what was there was mostly due to the organic matter in the topsoil. Furthermore, while banana is a very important crop for the region, providing food and income for over 85% of the population, the use of external inputs such as fertilizers was virtually nonexistent and soil fertility was mostly managed by recycling local organic residues.

The study was conducted from 2007 to 2011 in four agroecological regions in Rwanda (Butare, Kibungo, and Ruhengeri) and South-West Uganda (Ntungamo) and looked at the banana plants, various crop management practices, pests and diseases, and the chemical properties of soils.

It was undertaken by Séverine Delstanche as a PhD student of the University of Louvain in Belgium and formed part of the Belgium (DGD)-funded project titled 'Sustainable and profitable banana-based systems for the African Great Lakes Region' led by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). It was also part of the Consortium for Improving Agriculture-based Livelihoods in Central Africa (CIALCA) project.

The study further established that soil fertility and banana productivity varied not only between the regions but also within regions, villages, and at the farm level. The regional differences were due to differences in soils and their parental material whereas at the farm level, they were often the result of differential management practices. The soils close to the homestead were more fertile due to kitchen wastes of ashes and organic residues.

Delstanche says that despite the acknowledgment by farmers and researchers of the importance of soil fertility in agricultural production, little research has been carried out to understand the current state of soils and the impact of past and present farming practices.

Therefore, she says, farmers are unaware of the nutritional status of their soil and how best to make use of the little resources available to them to increase production and productivity.

Dr Piet van Asten, IITA systems agronomist, says the findings of this research are very significant. "We knew that our soils were poor but we did not know just how poor. But now, we've calculated the nutrient stocks and have learned that very little nutrients are left. Moreover, the soil fertility almost entirely depends on the organic matter in the soil."

"The study therefore stresses the importance of recycling crop residues to improve soil fertility. Over 80% of the nutrients in the soil comes from the organic matter and not from the clay or sand itself."

A related study by Van Asten and his team estimated that the over 100 trucks of banana bunches that reach Kampala everyday deplete the soils in the rural areas annually of 1.5 million kg of potassium (K) and 0.5 million kg of magnesium (Mg).

The study supports the Africa Union's Abuja declaration on fertilizers for an African Green Revolution which has stated that efforts to reduce hunger on the continent must begin by addressing its severely depleted soils and recommends countries to increase fertilizer use from the current 8 tons/ha to at least 50 tons/ha by 2015 to boost agricultural production.