Bananas and Food Security - Bioversity International

Afrique / Africa : K.R. Green et al.
to remove nematodes and weevils, and 6.8% farmers pared some of their suckers, such
that 40.9% farmers in the village are using the paring technique (Figure 1). This result
indicates a notable shift in farming practices since 1993, when a participatory rural
appraisal (PRA) (Schill et al. 1997) reported that farmers in Gyedu did not treat suckers
apart from removing obvious signs of rotting. Similar results were obtained in Pramkese,
while in Nyinahin the majority of farmers (52%) reported that they pared their suckers.
All of the farmers collaborating with IITA have had the opportunity to treat their
suckers using a hot water tank. At present, this process is conducted under the
supervision of MoFA staff.
In addition to community nurseries that were established in 1997 and 1998 with
technical backstopping and resources from IITA and MoFA, one farmer in each village
has individually adopted the nursery scheme to multiply clean material. In Gyedu, a
farmer who had a plantain nursery in 1997, this year trained two neighbours so that they
34%
Gyedu Nyinahin
7%
59%
None treated
39%
Pramkese
Figure 1. Percentage of farmers paring plantain suckers prior to planting at three villages in
Ghana.
52%
61%
All treated
Some treated
4%
44%
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