Banana farming in Kenya under threat from Fungus

Over 300,000 banana farmers in Kenya are facing a great threat from the deadly banana fungus which poses major risks to the world’s banana production.

According to FAO’s Director of Plant Production and Protection Division Hans Dreyer, the fungus is an insidious disease that can last for years in soils and can hitchhike to new fields and destinations through a number of means such as infected planting materials, water, shoes, farm tools and vehicles.

“We need to move quickly to prevent its further spread from where it is right now and to support already affected countries in their efforts to cope with the disease,” said Hans Dreyer.

Hans noted that the long-term resilience of banana production systems can only be improved through continuous monitoring, robust containment strategies, strengthening national capacities and enhancing international collaboration to deploy integrated disease management approaches.

Fusarium wilt TR4 was first detected in Southeast Asia in the 1990s and has now been identified at 19 sites in 10 countries, including the Near East, South Asia and Mozambique in sub-Saharan Africa.

The global programme is initially targeting 67 countries in a bid to prevent its spread and management.

Without a coordinated intervention, scientists estimate that the disease could affect up to 1.6 million hectares of current banana lands by 2040, representing one-sixth of current global production with an estimated annual value of USD 10 billion.

The programme aims to reduce the potentially affected area by up to 60 percent.

“There is also an important knowledge gap regarding the biology and management of the fungus and we aim to address these through this collaborative initiative, also promoting introduction of more biodiversity and improved agronomic practices into banana production systems” said Ann Tutwiler, the Director General of Bioversity International, speaking on her behalf and that of the IITA.

“The disease is also an important concern for the industry and the trade of this popular fruit,” added Pascal Liu, coordinator of the World Banana Forum.

The five-year programme is designed to build on existing initiatives tackling the disease and focuses on strengthening local technical capacities and supporting the development of science-based technologies and tools through research on biology and epidemiology of the fungus, its detection, surveillance, rapid containment actions, soil health and the development of resistant cultivars.

If effectively rolled out, it is estimated that every USD 1 invested in the programme today will produce benefits of between USD 98 and USD 196 in 20 years’ time.