No abstract

'Matooke' is a staple food made from Highland cooking bananas in the Great Lakes region of East Africa. Genetic improvement of these bananas for resistance to pests and diseases has been a priority breeding objective. However, there is insufficient information on fruit quality characteristics that different users prefer, resulting in sub-optimal adoption of new varieties. This study identified matooke characteristics preferred by farmers and traders, using survey data from 123 farmers, 14 focus group discussions and 40 traders. Gender differences were considered. The main characteristics that were found to drive variety preferences were agronomic (big bunch, big fruits) and quality (soft texture, good taste, good aroma, yellow food). There were minimal geographical and gender differences for trait preferences. Quality characteristics need to be defined in terms of physical-chemical underpinnings so that breeding programmes can apply accurate high-throughput systems, thereby improving adoption and impact of new banana varieties.

Postharvest losses (PHL) result in direct food and income losses to farmers and consumers globally. PHL reduction strategies offer unique opportunities to contribute to sustainable food systems for increased food security and farm incomes for more than 200 million food insecure people in sub-Saharan Africa. Lack of empirical information remains a major challenge to operationalization of PHL reduction strategies in many countries of the region. This paper utilizes cross-sectional data to determine the extent and factors that are influencing postharvest losses in the cooking-banana value chain in Uganda. We find that 14.9% of all the cooking bananas that are produced in Uganda suffer postharvest deterioration along the value chain (7.2% of the bananas deteriorate completely and have no residual value, while 7.7% deteriorate partially and are sold at discounted prices), mostly affecting retailers. At farm level, female headed households experience more losses than those headed by males. Household headship, household size, proportion of land allocated to banana production, and monthly banana production are the principal determinants of PHL at farm level. At retail level, such losses are mainly determined by sex of the vendor and group membership. The findings call for comprehensive and gender-responsive PHL reduction strategies.

This article presents the attributes of the first East African highland banana hybrid, 'Kiwangaazi' (Fig. 1), which was recently selected, released, and added to the national cultivar list in Uganda. The 'matooke' hybrid 'Kiwangaazi' was conventionally bred at Kawanda by crossing the tetraploid hybrid '1201k-1' ('Nakawere' AAA • 'Calcutta4' AA) with the improved diploid 'SH3217' AA. The main target was black Sigatoka resistance, a disease caused by the fungal pathogen Mycosphaerella fijiensis, ranked as the most important constraint to the production of the East African highland bananas, especially in the low lands (covering most of central and eastern Uganda). 'Kiwangaazi', together with other hybrids was evaluated for black Sigatoka response, nematode and weevil damage, yield, and consumer acceptability. The cultivar was evaluated under the code 'M9', and released by the national variety release committee as 'KABANA 6H'. The name 'Kiwangaazi' was coined by farmers who participated in the on-farm evaluation studies. In the local language (Luganda), 'Kiwangaazi' means ''long lasting.'' Due to high pest and disease pressure, banana plantations can only last for 3-5 years, especially in central and eastern Uganda. However, due to its pests and disease tolerance, farmers observed that 'M9' plants remain vigorous after 5 years, hence the name 'Kiwangaazi'. Description

In central Uganda, in spite of poor soils and high pest pressure, bananas are a primary source of household food and income. Farmers are increasingly challenged by the need to maintain banana productivity and to expand production for nearby markets. Traditional inputs - grass mulch, crop residue and animal manure - have become scarce and expensive. We posed the question of whether on-farm trees and shrubs can be used as a source of fodder and mulch, and for improved soil and microclimate could be harnessed to improve banana productivity. A survey was conducted in three districts of the Central Region of Uganda - Kiboga, Sembabule and Nakaseke - to characterize bananas, livestock, trees and shrubs on farms, and the linkages among these components in farm productivity. In each district, 70 households were interviewed and field sampling was conducted on the farms of 30 of these. Across the three districts, farms varied in their land area, in the numbers of banana mats, trees and shrubs they contained, and in ownership of ruminant animals. They also differed in their hiring or selling of labour, the use of mulch on the banana crop and whether or not the crop was grown under tree shade. A total of 49 tree species was counted, with Ficus natalensis, Albizia coriaria, Markhamia lutea, Mangifera indica and Persea americana being the most common. Farmers readily identified good neighbour trees for banana (Ficus natalensis and Albizia coriaria), tree-friendly banana cultivars - which included 'Kibuzi', 'Ndibwabalangira' 'Nakitembe', 'Mbwazirume' and 'Nakabululu' East African Highland Bananas (EAHB; AAA-EA group), and numerous trees and shrubs that are useful as fodder. From the survey, we concluded that banana crops and trees coexist on the same farm. However, few households make systematic use of trees and shrubs as mulch or animal fodder to increase manure supplies, and neither do they manage tree canopies to improve the microclimate for bananas. Certain households are endowed with more land, livestock and on-farm trees with which to undertake agroforestry strategies to improve banana productivity. A technology innovation approach to develop options for less resource-endowed households should draw on three elements: participatory experimentation incorporating current farmer knowledge and practice in a science-based agro-ecological framework; field studies on management principles for banana agroforestry; and models to understand medium-term biological interactions and farm household technology choices.