Taking a Deeper Lesson on Modern Banana Production Techniques

With the current efforts placed in by the government and other stakeholders in the envision of combating food insecurity in this country, Banana is one of the Africa's staple foods. The crop has further proved to be adaptive too to the effects of climate change that has been a major contributor to the global food insecurity . 

This having been one of the information gaps that ALIN and Practical Action have received from the farmers in various regions, Ndhiwa Maarifa centre was quick to call in a crops specialist from Kobama Ministry of Agriculture to literally begin the training with farmers from Ajwang Women group on the recommended production techniques that will enhance their household income and give them a good market value for their products.

You will realize that Bananas are a perennial tropical plants whose fruits are used both for cooking and as table fruits. Sometimes they can also be planted to act as windbreakers to a vegetable garden.

So far the main areas of production in Kenya are Coast, Western, Nyanza, Eastern and Central provinces; of which we fall under the Nyanza belt.

The trainer was broad enough to take the 19 farmers the climatic requirements of the crop, required soils, banana varieties, planting, propagation, spacing, weeding, thinning, disease and pest control among others.
A demo hole of 1 metre by  1 metre was set up by the group; and in the work plan, the team agreed to set up 30 more holes and fill them with well decomposed manure, an activity that is still underway. 
It came to our realization that most of our farmers at one time or the other had practiced banana farming and had an idea of its production but the major challenge was on the recommended specifications: pre and post treatment. ALIN/PA together with Ministry of Agriculture Kobama remained committed to work jointly with the pioneer group to ensure that they receives 30 certified suckers for their demo farm.