Advancing banana pest and disease solutions in Uganda through science–policy collaboration
Alliance scientists and partners in Uganda are collaborating to improve banana health by distributing pest- and disease-resistant varieties, improving farming approaches, and mapping risk areas.
Advancing banana pest and disease solutions in Uganda through science–policy collaboration
Alliance scientists and partners in Uganda are collaborating to improve banana health by distributing pest- and disease-resistant varieties, improving farming approaches, and mapping risk areas.
In Uganda, where bananas are both a staple food and a key income source, pests and diseases are more than a technical challenge: they pose a growing threat to food security and rural livelihoods.
Against this backdrop, scientists from the CGIAR Science Program for Policy innovation met with two key national policy partners: the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NACRRI) of the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) and the newly launched Agricultural Policy Research Centre (APRC), hosted by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES).
The visit brought researchers and policymakers together around an urgent question: How can science and policy work closely to better protect Uganda’s agricultural sector, particularly essential crops like banana?