DOCSLIB.ORG

Market Access and Agricultural Production: the Case of Banana Production in Uganda

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Market Access and Agricultural Production: the Case of Banana Production in Uganda Market Access and Agricultural Production: The Case of Banana Production in Uganda Promotor: prof. dr. A. Kuyvenhoven Hoogleraar Ontwikkelingseconomie Wageningen Universiteit Co-promotor: dr. C.P.J. Burger Universitair Hoofddocent, Leerstoelgroep Ontwikkelingseconomie Wageningen Universiteit Promotiecommissie: prof.dr. W.J.M. Heijman, Wageningen Universiteit prof. dr. ir. H. van Keulen, Wageningen Universiteit dr. A. van Tilburg, Wageningen Universiteit dr. M. Smale, International Food Policy Research Institute, (IFPRI) Washington, D.C., USA Dit onderzoek is uitgevoerd binnen de onderzoekschool Mansholt Graduate School of Social Sciences Market Access and Agricultural Production: The Case of Banana Production in Uganda Fredrick Bagamba Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor op gezag van de rector magnificus van Wageningen Universiteit, prof.dr. M.J. Kropff, in het openbaar te verdedigen op woensdag 14 maart 2007 des middags te 13.30 uur in de Aula Market Access and Agricultural Production: The Case of Banana Production in Uganda / Fredrick Bagamba, PhD Thesis, Wageningen University (2007) With summaries in English and Dutch ISBN 90-8504-633-5 Subject headings: Smallholder poor farmers, market access, bananas, productivity, efficiency, labour demand, labour supply, Uganda Abstract This study investigates the effects of factor and commodity markets on the development of the banana sub-sector in central and southwestern Uganda. The study analyses smallholder household response to production constraints (crop pests and diseases, soil constraints) and development of product markets and off-farm employment opportunities. The study was carried out in central region, Masaka and southwest, which have divergent production constraints and opportunities. Various analytical tools were employed in this study. Cost benefit analysis was used to assess the competitiveness of banana production versus other crop enterprises. The stochastic production frontier was used to analyze the technical and productive efficiency of banana farmers. Production functions were estimated for the important crops to analyze the allocative efficiency of farmers in each study region. Finally, labour supply and demand functions were estimated to determine the factors that influence labour allocation decisions and to assess the farmers’ response to changes in economic conditions. A multinomial logit model was fitted to identify factors that influence farmers’ labour supply decisions between farm and off-farm work. Results for the cost benefit analysis show that banana is the most profitable of all the crops grown, in terms of gross margin. However, imperfections in labour and food markets cause farmers in the central region to allocate more land and labour to the less profitable annual crops (sweet potatoes, maize and cassava) but are more satisfying in terms of household food requirements. High food prices and limitations in access to the off-farm labour market induce farmers to rely on own farm production for their household food needs. Results from the technical efficiency analysis show that banana farmers in Uganda are technically inefficient, and output can be increased by 30 in the southwest and 58% in the central region. Improved roads, formal education and access to credit are some of the factors that improve technical efficiency. Agricultural extension visits significantly increases banana productivity in the southwest. Results confirm that pest (banana weevil) and disease (Sigatoka) infestation contribute to the low banana production in the central region. Farm size is positively related to farm productivity. However, production is more efficient on smaller plots (decreasing returns to scale). The low productivity on small farms puts to question the sustainability of smallholder agriculture, given the imperfections in labour and food markets and limited access to purchased inputs. Analysis of the marginal products of labour shows that farmers are allocatively inefficient and production and consumption decisions are nonseparable. Findings from labour supply analysis show that farmers respond positively to changes in shadow wage rates and negatively to changes in shadow income. This implies that the farmers are responsive to economic incentives. Access to off-farm opportunities takes away the most productive labour from farm production. Thus improved road access and high wage rates are associated with lower farm labour productivity and lower labour supply. Education and road access have a positive effect on time allocated to off-farm activities while farm size is negatively related to work hours in off-farm activities. The study reveals that policies that promote income diversification into off-farm activities can contribute to sustained development in the rural sector. In particular, policies that reduce transaction costs are likely to improve productivity and efficiency in both the off-farm sector and farm sector. Investment in road infrastructure, education and financial institutions that are suited to smallholder production needs could help in alleviating the bottlenecks in the v labour, food and financial markets, and improve resource allocation between the farm and nonfarm sectors. Key words: Smallholder poor farmers, market access, bananas, productivity, efficiency, labour demand, labour supply, Uganda. vi Acknowledgements My desire to pursue PhD training was finally fulfilled with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation and a sandwich fellowship from Wageningen University. I am very grateful to Cliff Gold and Arnold van Huis for the role they played in my initial contact with the Wageningen University. I especially thank John Lynam for allowing me to obtain a study fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation through the National Banana Research Programme (NBRP). While at Wageningen University, I benefited from INREF funding through the RESPONSE Program, which I highly appreciate. I give special thanks to the Head of NBRP, Wilberforce Tushemereirwe, for the encouragement, advice and for the financial support while in Uganda. I thank the Director of Kawanda Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), Matthias Magunda, for the good working environment at the Institute. I wish to express my profound gratitude to my excellent team of supervisors. I was greatly encouraged by the fatherly advice and consistent guidance of my promoter, Arie Kuyvenhoven, during the course of writing the thesis. My daily supervisor, Kees Burger, contributed a lot to the final shaping of the study. He provided constructive critiques and suggestions in data analysis and interpretation, and comments on the many drafts I gave him. He was always available to attend to my numerous questions despite a very busy schedule. I am thankful to Rued Ruben for his contribution in the initial stages of the study. I benefited a lot from his guidance and advice during the proposal writing. I thank him for his useful suggestions and comments during field data collection and his contribution in the analysis and interpretation of results of chapter 3. I had a cordial relationship with the staff at the Development Economics Group and benefited a lot from the discussions I had with them. Peter Roebeling, with whom I shared an office in my first year inspired me a lot and provided me with a friendly working office environment. He never complained about the many questions I asked him, concerning my coursework. I benefited a lot from the lectures of Henk Moll, Nico Heerink and Rob Schipper. I received comments on my first draft chapter from Marrit van den Berg and her suggestions helped a lot in shaping the draft into what is now Chapter 3 of the study. I also received comments from Aad van Tilburg on the earlier version of what is now Chapter 4. I acknowledge the help I received from Marijke D’Haese. I benefited a lot from the almost daily discussions I had with Feng Shuyi, Girmay Tesfay and Lawrence Mose. Ingrid Lefeber and Henny Hendrikx were always helpful when contacted and the working environment could not have been better. I am grateful to them. There are people I worked with in the course of my field work and later in writing. Special thanks go to Melinda Smale for enabling the collaboration between NBRP and IFPRI, which made the data collection process successful, and for commenting on my earlier work. Svetlana Edmeades contributed to the initial data collection and design of the data collection instruments. Mariana Rufino is acknowledged for providing the soils data used in Chapter 3. Enoch Kikulwe contributed a lot to the data collection and management. He later joined me at Wageningen and gave good company, together with Christopher Bukenya, Richard Mugambe and Dickson Malunda. David Mugerwa made our life easy during the fieldwork by driving long distances without getting tired. I have to thank the farmers for the valuable data availed to us during our many field visits. I am sincerely grateful to Philip Ragama and Dezi Ngambeki for commenting on my work. Finally, I am very grateful to my family for the enormous contribution, sacrifices and patience throughout the study, and especially during the times I was away from home. vii Special thanks go to my beloved wife Christine for the love and commitment she has provided me. I am thankful to our children Daisy and Denise for their patience and love. The support from friends and relatives, especially from Brazio Mugisha, Jackline Kekikomera and Siliver Nuwagira, is highly appreciated. viii Dedicated To My wife Christine And Children
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Advancing Banana and Plantain R & D in Asia and the Pacific
    Advancing banana and plantain R & D in Asia and the Pacific Proceedings of the 9th INIBAP-ASPNET Regional Advisory Committee meeting held at South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China - 2-5 November 1999 A. B. Molina and V. N. Roa, editors The mission of the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain is to sustainably increase the productivity of banana and plantain grown on smallholdings for domestic consumption and for local and export markets. The Programme has four specific objectives: · To organize and coordinate a global research effort on banana and plantain, aimed at the development, evaluation and dissemination of improved banana cultivars and at the conservation and use of Musa diversity. · To promote and strengthen collaboration and partnerships in banana-related activities at the national, regional and global levels. · To strengthen the ability of NARS to conduct research and development activities on bananas and plantains. · To coordinate, facilitate and support the production, collection and exchange of information and documentation related to banana and plantain. Since May 1994, INIBAP is a programme of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI). The International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) is an autonomous international scientific organization, supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). IPGRIs mandate is to advocate the conservation and use of plant genetic resources for the benefit of present and future generations. IPGRIs headquarters is based in Rome, Italy, with offices in another 14 countries worldwide. It operates through three programmes: (1) the Plant Genetic Resources Programme, (2) the CGIAR Genetic Resources Support Programme, and (3) the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP).
    [Show full text]
  • Women in the Banana Export Industry Regional Report on Latin America
    Women in the Banana Export Industry Regional Report on Latin America Working paper - Series for the World Banana Forum by Anna Cooper, Banana Link May 2015 2 Summary Women in the Banana Export Industry Regional Report on Latin America is part of a global report on the economic aspects of gender issues in the banana sector. It is based on research conducted in Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua with a primary focus on the situation for hired labour and analyses levels of women’s employment in the region and the key challenges for women workers. The report will inform the work of the World Banana Forum1. The average proportion of women employed in the Latin American banana industry is 12.5%, although this varies within and between countries. A key reason for this low rate of women's employment in the sector is the limited access of women to the whole range of work tasks on the plantation. Women tend to be restricted to work in the 'more controlled environment' of the packing shed in part due to the gender stereotyping of women. Many field tasks are perceived to be too technically difficult or too physically demanding for women to undertake but tend to be better paid. Women are viewed primarily as domestic actors and childcare providers. The occupational health and safety risks for women identified are particularly those related to the effects of agrochemical exposure on reproductive health. Other problems faced by women workers are sexual harassment, discrimination when pregnant, a lack of childcare provision and the additional burdens faced by women managing childcare, domestic duties and in some cases, trade union activity.
    [Show full text]
  • Costa Rican Banana Industry
    The Growth of the Banana Industry in Costa Rica and Its Effect on Biodiversity: History and Loss of Biodiversity THE HISTORY OF BANANAS IN COSTA RICA Historically banana plantations have played an integral part in Costa Rica's economy. The first banana plantation was created in 1872 and commercial export began in 1879. By 1899, The United Fruit Company was formed and went on to become well established throughout Central America within several countries, which were known, as the "banana republics". However, by 1956, the Costa Rican government had become concerned about the number of plantations, which had been developed and abandoned due to "Panama Disease" (a root fungus), not to mention the careless use of the country’s natural resources by the United Fruit Company (Hernadez and Witter, 1996). At this point the government recruited the Standard Fruit Company (now Dole, a subsidiary of Castle and Cooke) who began purchasing small amounts of fruit from local growers. Unfortunately it was also at this point in time that the use of agro-chemicals was put into practice, with this came the use of large amounts of pesticides, fungicides, nematocides, (Astorga, 1996) and other chemicals, as well as other intensive field and processing management. As of 1967, the United Fruit Company became known as the United Brands Company and the Chiquita label was introduced into Costa Rica. In 1968 another company, Del Monte, through [its] subsidiary, BANDECO, started producing and exporting from the Atlantic Zone. These three companies, Dole, Chiquita, and Del Monte are known as the "Big Three" in Costa Rica (McCracken, 1998).
    [Show full text]
  • Bananas in Central America
    The Impacts of Banana 1Plantation Development in Central America Page 1 By Carrie McCracken Large-scale banana production has been conducted in Central America since the beginning of the 20th century. The development and success of this industry has resulted in the complete alteration of tropical lowland environments from Mexico south to Panama. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of rich and diverse tropical ecosystems have been transformed into the monotonous and chemical drenched landscapes of banana plantations. The banana industry is almost entirely controlled by three large fruit companies: Chiquita, Dole, and Del Monte. Many Central American countries depend on the revenue, employment and jobs that these corporations provide. This dependence has allowed these transnationals to become very powerful and influential in the social, political, and economic activities the region. Most of the bananas produced in Central America are exported to industrialized countries. The high demand for low cost and blemish free fruit has greatly influenced the cultivation methods utilized by banana growers. Only a change in consumer demands for a more sustainably produced fruit will push the industry to end the continued devastation of the biophysical and social environments of Central America. Geographic Location Banana plantations have been developed primarily along the Caribbean Coast of Central America where the high temperature, rainfall, and rich alluvial soil are suitable for the large-scale production of this tropical fruit. Lowland regions of the Caribbean Coast, at elevations below 250 ft., generally exhibit high annual temperatures averaging around 24° C, with little diurnal variations in temperature (Hall, 1985). These lowlands are primarily composed of a mixture of volcanic and alluvial soil, providing the necessary nutrients for banana growth.
    [Show full text]
  • Bananas the Green Gold of the South Table of Contents Abstract 3 Abstract Facts and Figures 4
    Facts Series Bananas the green gold of the South Table of Contents Abstract 3 Abstract Facts and figures 4 Chapter I: Bananas, the green gold of the South 5 There are few people in the world who are not familiar with bananas. With an annual production of 145 million metric tons in over 130 countries and an economic value of 44.1 billion dollars, bananas are the The ancestors of the modern banana 6 fourth most important food crop in the world. The banana originally came from Asia, but was imported into Why are bananas bent? 7 Africa long ago, where it now constitutes a significant source of food security. One third of all bananas are Bananas: from the hand or from the pan? 8 cultivated in Asia, another third in Latin America, and the other in Africa. 20% of the world’s production of East African Highland bananas 11 bananas comes from Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanza- nia, where they are grown on fields of 0.5 to 4 hectares. Only 15% of the worldwide production of bananas Chapter 2: Bananas, a vital part of the world’s economy 12 is exported to Western countries, which means that 85% of bananas are cultivated by small farmers to be Banana export and production 13 consumed and sold at local and regional markets. Given that bananas serve as a basic food source for 20 Picked when green and ripe in the shops 15 million people in East Africa and for 70 million people in West and Central Africa, Africa is highly dependent Gros Michel and Cavendish, the favorites of the West 15 on banana cultivation for food, income, and job security.
    [Show full text]
  • Towards a Sustainable Banana Supply Chain in Colombia
    Towards a sustainable banana supply chain in Colombia Rainforest Alliance Certification and economic, social and environment conditions on small-scale banana plantations in Magdalena, Colombia Beekman, G., M. Dekkers and T. Koster, 2019. Towards a sustainable banana supply chain in Colombia; Rainforest Alliance Certification and economic, social and environment conditions on small-scale banana plantations in Magdalena, Colombia. Wageningen, Wageningen Economic Research, Report 2019-019. 49 pp.; 16 fig.; 5 tab.; 20 ref. This report can be downloaded for free at https://doi.org/10.18174/466678 or at www.wur.eu/economic-research (under Wageningen Economic Research publications). ISBN 978-94-6343-558-1 This report can be cited as: Towards a sustainable banana supply chain in Colombia, Wageningen Economic Research, Den Haag 2019 Keywords: Rainforest Alliance, certification, banana plantations, Colombia, wage workers © 2019 Wageningen Economic Research P.O. Box 29703, 2502 LS The Hague, The Netherlands, T +31 (0)70 335 83 30, E [email protected], http://www.wur.eu/economic-research. Wageningen Economic Research is part of Wageningen University & Research. For its reports, Wageningen Economic Research utilises a Creative Commons Attributions 3.0 Netherlands license. © Wageningen Economic Research, part of Stichting Wageningen Research, 2019 The user may reproduce, distribute and share this work and make derivative works from it. Material by third parties which is used in the work and which are subject to intellectual property rights may not be used without prior permission from the relevant third party. The user must attribute the work by stating the name indicated by the author or licensor but may not do this in such a way as to create the impression that the author/licensor endorses the use of the work or the work of the user.
    [Show full text]
  • Musa Acuminata
    Monograph Musa acuminata May 5, 2017 Chapter 1: Ecology 1.1 Ecology 1.2 Distribution 1.3 Vegetation components 1.3.1 Pests 1.3.2 Diseases Chapter 2: Biology 2.1 Chromosome complement 2.2 Life cycle and phenology 2.2.1 Life cycle 2.2.2 Phenology 2.2.2.1 Deciduosness 2.2.2.2 flowering and fruiting 2.2.3 Year-to-year variation in flowering and fruiting 2.3 REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY 2.3.1 Sexuality 2.3.2 Anthesis 2.3.3 Pollination and potential pollinators 2.3.4 Fruit development and seed set 2.4 Ecophysiology Chapter 3: Propagation and Management 3.1 Natural regeneration 3.2 Nursery Propagation 3.2.1 propagation from seed 3.2.1.1 Pre-preparation and implications for germinations 3.2.1.2 Sowing and the germination process 3.2.1.3 Storage 3.2.2 Vegetative propagation 3.2.2.1 Grafting 3.2.2.2 Cuttings 3.3 Planting 3.4 Management 3.4.1 Fruiting 3.4.2 Pest and diseases control Chapter 4: Emerging products, potential markets 4.1 The overall picture 4.2 Flavour in musa accuminata 4.3 Fresh fruit 4.4 Woodcarvings and curios Chapter 5: Medicinal and traditional non-wood uses 5.1 Medicinal uses 5.1.1 Asthma 5.1.2 Heart health 5.1.3 Diabetes: 5.1.4 Digestive health 5.1.5 Preserving memory and boosting mood 5.2 Magic/ritual significance Musa acuminata, popularly known as banana, is a fruit that is very resourceful and has many uses in our daily lives, more than you can imagine.
    [Show full text]
  • Improving the Productivity of Banana Farms As a Strategy to Improve International Competitiveness -The Case of Irrigation in St
    131 IMPROVING THE PRODUCTIVITY OF BANANA FARMS AS A STRATEGY TO IMPROVE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS -THE CASE OF IRRIGATION IN ST. VINCENT Ashley R. Cain, Keith Henderson and Simeon Greene INTRODUCTION used to channel water from rivers to the various farms. In some areas, remnants of The banana industry in St. Vincent is on the the equipment and canals used can still be verge of making significant investments in seen. These irrigation systems were allowed irrigating banana farms. The planned to deteriorate as the estate system of investments in irrigation are intended to production became unprofitable and estate significantly improve the competitive owners divested their lands. position of the industry in an increasingly competitive and demanding international Since the acquisition of the Orange Hill market. This paper considers why the use of Estate by the Government in 1987, the only irrigation in bananas is an important strategy major investment in irrigating bananas was for improving the international competitive- done by Mr. Victor Hadley in 1995. Unlike ness ofthe industry in St Vincent. previous cases, Mr. Hadley used drip/trickle irrigation technology for his bananas. This History of Banana Irrigation in St. investment was again facilitated by the Vincent presence on the site of a horticultural enterprise using a combination of drip and It is a widespread perception in the St. mini sprinklers. More recently, drip irrigation Vincent Banana Growers' Association system have been installed on ten (SVBGA) that the industry will not survive demonstration farms covering fifty acres, without major improvements in production using funds provided under the STABEX- and productivity on banana farms.
    [Show full text]
  • Musa Species (Bananas and Plantains) Authors: Scot C
    August 2006 Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry ver. 2.2 www.traditionaltree.org Musa species (banana and plantain) Musaceae (banana family) aga‘ (ripe banana) (Chamorro), banana, dessert banana, plantain, cooking banana (English); chotda (Chamorro, Guam, Northern Marianas); fa‘i (Samoa); hopa (Tonga); leka, jaina (Fiji); mai‘a (Hawai‘i); maika, panama (New Zealand: Maori); meika, mei‘a (French Polynesia); siaine (introduced cultivars), hopa (native) (Tonga); sou (Solomon Islands); te banana (Kiribati); uchu (Chuuk); uht (Pohnpei); usr (Kosrae) Scot C. Nelson, Randy C. Ploetz, and Angela Kay Kepler IN BRIEF h C vit Distribution Native to the Indo-Malesian, E El Asian, and Australian tropics, banana and C. plantain are now found throughout the tropics and subtropics. photo: Size 2–9 m (6.6–30 ft) tall at maturity. Habitat Widely adapted, growing at eleva- tions of 0–920 m (0–3000 ft) or more, de- pending on latitude; mean annual tempera- tures of 26–30°C (79–86°F); annual rainfall of 2000 mm (80 in) or higher for commercial production. Vegetation Associated with a wide range of tropical lowland forest plants, as well as nu- merous cultivated tropical plants. Soils Grows in a wide range of soils, prefer- ably well drained. Growth rate Each stalk grows rapidly until flowering. Main agroforestry uses Crop shade, mulch, living fence. Main products Staple food, fodder, fiber. Yields Up to 40,000 kg of fruit per hectare (35,000 lb/ac) annually in commercial or- Banana and plantain are chards. traditionally found in Pacific Intercropping Traditionally grown in mixed island gardens such as here in Apia, Samoa, although seri- cropping systems throughout the Pacific.
    [Show full text]
  • Banana Industry Export Market Development Strategy 2023
    Banana Industry Export Market Development Strategy 2023 A quick overview of international trade STRATEGY SUMMARY opportunities and considerations To review the opportunities to export Australian bananas, Hort Innovation has developed a comprehensive export market development strategy. The strategy has been produced using levies from the banana industry and funds from the Australian Government. The supporting data underpinning this strategy has been prepared by market analysts and researchers McKINNA et al using its Market Potential Index (MPI) which is a framework used to filter, rank and prioritise export markets. The strategy provides a valuable resource for growers and industry more broadly to identify any trade development investment opportunities. WHERE ARE WE NOW? As a tropical fruit, banana production predominantly occurs in the North of Australia, in Queensland, with some production in Northern NSW, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Last year, there were more than 360 commercial banana growing businesses operating in Australia Relative to the volume of national banana production, which is around 380,000 tonnes, banana exports have been minimal and opportunistic. In many years, there have been virtually no recorded exports. Total exports in the 2016/17 year were 138 tonnes or 0.04 per cent of Australia’s total production. The current trade is largely sporadic. Australian exporters are usually filling short-term market gaps when there is a market supply failure from other countries. Because such trade is usually sourcing product from the market floor, the product is not customised to suit the needs or preferences of the intended market in terms of flavour profile or branding.
    [Show full text]
  • Report of the Third Conference of the World Banana Forum
    Report of the Third Conference of the World Banana Forum 8-9 NOVEMBER 2017, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND REPORT WRITTEN BY THE WORLD BANANA FORUM SECRETARIAT, BASED AT FAO HEADQUARTERS IN ROME Report of the Third Conference of the World Banana Forum Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome, 2018 RECOMMENDED CITATION: FAO. 2018. Report of the Third Conference of the World Banana Forum. Rome. 64pp. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO. ISBN 978-92-5-130750-2 © FAO, 2018 FAO encourages the use, reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Except where otherwise indicated, material may be copied, downloaded and printed for private study, research and teaching purposes, or for use in non-commercial products or services, provided that appropriate acknowledgement of FAO as the source and copyright holder is given and that FAO’s endorsement of users’ views, products or services is not implied in any way.
    [Show full text]
  • The International Magazine on Banana and Plantain
    INFOINFOMUSAMUSA The International Magazine on Banana and Plantain Vol. 10 N° 1 June 2001 IN THIS ISSUE In situ mass propagation of FHIA-20 using benzylaminopurine Socioeconomic aspects of plantain cultivation in Colombia Production of plantain leaves for the agrifood industry The evolution of photosynthesis, transpiration and chlorophyll during the development of leaves of plantain Estimation of root development from shoot traits in Musa spp. Evaluation of cultural, chemical and biological control of vascular rot and wilt in plantain Evaluation of FHIA hybrids in comparison with local Musa clones in Peru Evaluation of Musa germplasm against banana weevil borers Distribution of Fusarium wilt of banana in Kenya and its impact on smallholder farmers VCG of the populations of Fusarium (Foc) in Vietnam Black Sigatoka disease in Mexico Effect of number of subcultures on in vitro multiplication of banana clones MusaNews The banana world loses two friends and colleagues INIBAP News Thesis Books etc. Announcements PROMUSA News CTA INFOMUSA is published with the support of the Technical Center for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) The mission of the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plan- tain is to sustainably increase the productivity of banana and plantain grown on smallholdings for domestic consumption and for local and export markets. The Programme has four specific objectives: • To organize and coordinate a global research effort on banana and plantain, aimed at the development, evaluation and dissemination of
    [Show full text]