In this research area, Bioversity looks at different ways of adding extra value to the diversity of banana and plantains and ensuring that as much as possible of that value remains with producers and their communities.

Although bananas and plantains are often grown as a staple food for home consumption, they can also be considered as a commodity. Individual growers sell their production by quantity, without major price differentiation for quality, and have very little control over the price that they receive – at the farm gate, by the side of the road or in the local market. Numerous players, usually organized in informal networks or chains, may be involved in moving the commodity from the site of production to the ultimate consumer. Each player provides some service – such as transportation, consolidation, grading, ripening or processing - that renders the commodity more valuable to the next player in the chain. These transactions are governed by informal or formal rules instituted by the players themselves or by local and national governments, for instance, through regulations on contracts, quality standards, wage levels and taxes.

For many years, international and national agricultural research organizations have focused their efforts on technologies for increasing production, assuming that this would benefit rural communities. Production and productivity continue to be important, but to increase their contribution to rural development, growers and decision-makers in development projects need to understand how the value chain is organized, identify specific markets and then implement strategies to capture greater value especially for those at the beginning of the chain, the producers and their communities, who are typically the rural poor.

Bioversity’s banana team, working with country partners and regional networks, has identified five strategic areas of major importance to researchers, technicians and farmers. In each area, the team is working with partners to develop and validate practical tools and techniques, and then capture the experiences as knowledge products that can be broadly used in the research and development community.

Grants
Addressing micronutrient deficiencies in West and Central Africa through Musa–based foods