Banana Bunchy Top Disease Alliance – Banana Bunchy Top Disease Alliance

Alliance to control the escalating threat of banana bunchy top disease in Africa

The ‘alliance’ is a multinational, multi-stakeholder, interdisciplinary team formed under the framework of the CGIAR Roots, Tubers and Banana (CRP-RTB) program, to mount a coordinated action to halt the expansion of banana bunchy top disease and recover banana production in the disease affected areas, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Banana bunchy top disease (BBTD) is an invasive virus disease seriously threatening banana and plantain production in Africa. This disease caused by the Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) renders plants unproductive, eventually killing them. Extensive disease spread into new production areas was observed during the last two decades. The Alliance aims to conduct and coordinate R4D efforts to:

Understand the bunchy top disease epidemiology and ecology for a better knowledge on factors driving the disease spread
Develop appropriate management packages to delay the spread and manage the disease in endemic areas
Develop and distribute sensitive diagnostic tools, and develop capacity for disease recognition and knowledge of control options.
Augment host resistance to the virus and explore biocontrol options to manage aphid vector
Establish location-specific clean banana production and distribution systems, and train farmers and entrepreneurs in producing clean planting material
Train African scientists to continue surveillance on the extent of disease incidence to update the spatial distribution map of BBTV spread in SSA
Exert efforts to mobilize the resources necessary for a sustained and long-term initiative to achieve this mission

Alliance is coordinated by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Bioversity International, together with FAO and several national agricultural research systems (Bénin, Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville, DRC, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, and Zambia) and several research partners from Australia, Asia, Europe, India, Kenya, New Zealand, and USA.

Collaborative effort saves Ukerewe’s bananas from BBTV threat

17th August 2026 17th August 2026Uncategorised 0

Banana farmers on Ukerewe Island, Tanzania, faced disaster when banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) swept through, wiping out over 90% of the crop and threatening the island’s main food and income source. For this remote community, bananas are a staple food and a lifeline. As livelihoods were threatened, a partnership…

Reclaiming the Banana Island: How Ukerewe Farmers Are Restoring Production After Bunchy Top

27th January 2026 27th January 2026Uncategorised 0

From Near Collapse to Coordinated Recovery On Ukerewe Island in Tanzania, bananas are more than a staple crop; they underpin household food security, income, and cultural identity. Yet by 2023, Banana Bunchy Top Disease (BBTD), caused by the Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV), had pushed the island’s banana systems to…

Understanding the gender dimensions of the spread of banana diseases in Nigerian communities

26th September 2025 26th September 2025Blog 0

Seeds are essential agricultural inputs in food production, biodiversity conservation, and overall crop yield. However, seeds can carry plant pathogens and serve as vehicles for pathogen spread, naturally and through formal and informal seed distribution, from one season to the next, and within and between geographies. The global spread of…

Safeguarding the future of bananas

23rd April 2025 23rd April 2025Uncategorised 0

Strengthening national capacities and partnerships to protect banana production 22/04/2025 Rome – Bananas are a lifeline for millions of smallholder farmers in Africa and worldwide, with over 1 000 varieties produced, traded, and consumed locally. However, destructive diseases such as Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race 4 (TR4) and banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV)…

Video guide: How to identify and control Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV)

17th February 2025 17th February 2025Blog 0

IITA, MAAIF, NARO, and ASARECA Join Forces to Sensitize Farmers on Combatting BBTV

9th December 2024 9th December 2024Blog 0

By Genevieve Apio Kasese District, Uganda – A pivotal two-day farmers’ study tour focusing on tackling the Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) was held in Kasese District, Uganda. The tour, organized by the Ukama Ustawi (UU) Learning Alliance, a CGIAR-led initiative supported by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural…