In East African countries, bananas are an important staple food and cash crop. However, most of the East African bananas are susceptible to pests and diseases, threatening the livelihoods of over 30 million people. Scientists in Kenya and Uganda are developing and testing hybrid cultivars resistant to Black Sigatoka disease,  the most serious constraint to banana production. 

In this episode, Patricia Nanteza will interview scientists who are developing and promoting the adoption of these hybrid banana varieties. Ivan Kabiita Arinaitwe is a banana breeder at Uganda’s National Banana Research Program, Mary Mwangi is a lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology  and Biotechnology at Kenyatta University and Grace Wamue is an associate professor of Sociology, Gender & Development Studies at Kenyatta University. They will talk about the potential of these high-yielding new hybrids to boost farmers income and food security in Africa, as well as the gender issues associated with this research.