Bananas and Food Security - Bioversity International

164 Les productions bananières / Bananas and food security – Session 1
goût et le temps de maturation sont les facteurs pris en compte dans la région du centre
où la vente des bananes moins importante.
Après analyse, il a été possible de donner des recommandations sur les cultivars préférés
dans les cinq régions étudiées. Les informations obtenues sont importantes pour la compréhension
de la dynamique de la diversité et de la répartition des cultivars et peuvent
être utiles aux programmes d’amélioration du bananier.
Abstract
The East African highlands constitute a secondary center of banana diversity with more
than 80 locally evolved cultivars (Musa spp., group AAA-East Africa). These cultivars,
collectively called highland bananas, include both cooking and brewing types. Cooking
banana is the primary staple food in the region and Uganda is the world’s leading
producer and consumer of bananas. In addition, farmers also grow a range of introduced
cultivars. High cultivar diversity is a characteristic of local banana production.
Farmer interviews were conducted at 24 sites to elucidate the underlying reasons for
maintaining high banana cultivar diversity in Uganda. Farmers estimated the relative
importance of their banana cultivars, defined and scored their cultivars for different
cultivar selection criteria, and discussed cultivar preferences. Cultivar number ranged from
18-34 (mean = 26) per site, and 4 to 22 (mean = 12) per farm. High cultivar diversity was
attributed to improved food security (i.e. differential cultivar performance against a
range of stresses) and to a diversity in end uses.
Highland banana represented 76% of total production, while Kayinja (ABB) contributed
8%, Ndiizi (AB) 7%, Kisubi (AB) 5%, Gros Michel (AAA) 2% and plantain (AAB) 2%. Ten
cultivars constituted 50% of highland banana production, while 45 cultivars were found
at only one or two sites.
Farmer selection criteria depended, in part, on commercial and domestic objectives.
Bunch size and crop maturation time were the key selection criteria in the southwest
which includes the county’s most important commercial production zones. Longevity,
taste and crop maturation time were key factors in the central region, where banana
production marketing of bananas is less important.
Using principal component analysis, it was possible to give recommendations of preferred
cultivars in the five respective regions. Such information is important in understanding
the dynamics of cultivar diversity and distribution and can be useful in breeding and crop
improvement programs.
Introduction
Due to the great diversity of bananas in the East African highlands, the region has been
considered a secondary centre of Musa diversity (Stover and Simmonds 1987). Majority
of the bananas have evolved locally and constitute the so called Highland bananas of
East Africa (Musa group AAA-East Africa) which include both cooking (“matooke”) and
brewing (“mbidde”) types. Uganda has the highest level of cultivar diversity in the East
African region (Kyobe 1981). Based on morphological characteristics, these have been