As reported in their latest annual report, the CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas (RTB) has been busy working with local partners along the entire cooking banana value chain in Uganda. The research partners are testing strategies to reduce post-harvest loss and differentiate products in order to improve incomes and food security.  

In Uganda, cooking banana is not only the main staple crop, but also an important source of income for farmers and other value chain actors. Sadly, a significant portion of cooking banana production is lost or damaged due to the fruit’s short shelf life and poor handling.

A team of researchers from Bioversity International, CIRAD, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) joined farmers, transporters, vendors and exporters in Central and Western Uganda to find ways to reduce loss and increase the earnings of smallholders and cooking banana sellers – most of whom are women. According to a 2015 market study, women are disproportionately affected by postharvest loss since they are largely responsible for retailing the crop and frequently have to sell damaged bananas for low prices. This collaboration is one of four sub-projects under ‘Expanding Utilization of RTB and Reducing Their Postharvest Losses’ (RTB-ENDURE), a three-year initiative working with banana, cassava, potato and sweetpotato in Uganda, funded by the European Union and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. Read further on the website.