Farm families in the East African Highlands grow bananas for food and to sell. In some areas the banana has become a key commodity and a major contributor to household income. However, production is constrained by the bacterial wilt disease (BXW). The roles of men and women in banana management and their control over revenues blend traditional gender norms with … Read More

Researchers from IITA in Rwanda are working on a new app to help farmers manage banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW). The idea is to use “citizen science” to upload data from farmers’ cell phones. However, an initial study has found that while most farmers do have access to cell phones, they need more training to be able to get the most … Read More

DNA fingerprinting allows researchers to identify a crop variety genetically. While survey teams can ask farmers what crop varieties they are growing, an evaluation method that combines survey data with DNA fingerprinting can identify crop varieties more accurately, which is important in adoption and impact studies. To assess the impact of adopting improved crop varieties, researchers usually ask farmers what … Read More