For more than two decades, banana farming was the lifeline of Euphrasie Mukankaka, a 56-year-old farmer from Nzige Sector in Rwamagana District. A mother of five, Mukankaka and her husband began cultivating bananas in the 1990s and expanded their farm in 2000 after receiving training in modern farming techniques. “We started focusing on plantain varieties, and by 2018 we had expanded to 3.5 hectares, harvesting about eight tonnes a month,” she recalled. “It was giving us around Rwf400,000 in profit monthly, enough to meet all our family needs.” ALSO READ: Deadly banana wilt disease spreads to Eastern Province But that steady income came under threat when a mysterious disease began attacking their banana plants. “One day, we noticed a banana tree whose leaves were turning yellow. Around the same time, we heard on the radio about a new disease called Kirabiranya, or Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW),” she said. Authorities advised farmers to uproot and bury infected trees to stop the disease from spreading. Mukankaka followed the guidance, but within weeks, more plants showed symptoms—yellowing leaves and discoloured fruits that even birds refused to eat. By 2020, her plantation had collapsed. Monthly harvests dropped from eight tonnes to less than half a tonne. “We went from loading bananas onto trucks to carrying them on bicycles. There was no profit left—just losses and exhaustion,” she said. ALSO READ: Will new ICT-led approach eliminate banana wilt disease? The family abandoned banana farming for other crops such as beans. In 2023, they attempted a comeback, hoping that years without bananas had allowed the disease to subside. Two years later, they harvest between 1.5 and 2 tonnes, though challenges persist. “We are still struggling with the disease. If RAB or the Ministry of Agriculture finds a lasting solution, we could regain our strength. Banana farming used to be our most reliable source of income.” Cooperatives hit hard Kamara Cooperative in Kirehe District has faced similar devastation. Established in the early 2000s, it thrived until the disease struck in 2016. According to Emmanuel Bucyana, a founding member, the outbreak wiped out 60 per cent of their weekly production within a year. “We used to produce around 16 tonnes a week, but the disease reduced that by more than half,” he said. “Farmers’ incomes fell sharply—someone earning Rwf100,000 a week could only make Rwf30,000.” The cooperative, which previously battled Fusarium wilt, described BXW as far more destructive. Membership dropped from 500 to about 250, forcing them to diversify into maize before cautiously returning to banana farming three years later. Today, they cultivate dessert and cook plantains on 350 hectares, though fears of banana wilt persist. Banana wilt was first reported in Rwanda in 2005. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), smallholder farmers in the Great Lakes region harvest about 6.25 tonnes per hectare, far below the potential 80 tonnes. The FAO warns that BXW poses a serious threat to regional food security and livelihoods, capable of wiping out entire plantations if unchecked. The organisation also notes that Fusarium wilt, caused by the Foc TR4 pathogen, has devastated commercial varieties such as Cavendish globally, with losses projected to reach $10 billion by 2040. Biotechnology offers hope Athanase Nduwumuremyi, Senior Research Fellow and Roots and Tubers Program Coordinator at the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), said preparations are underway to launch a biotechnology project by December to strengthen research capacity at Rubona and establish a national centre of excellence. “The programme will focus on improving banana, Irish potato, and cassava productivity,” Nduwumuremyi explained. “For bananas, we plan to develop varieties resistant to both banana wilt and Fusarium.” Anastasie Musabyemungu, a Rwandan scientist pursuing a PhD in Plant Science in Kenya, has developed two GM banana varieties—one dessert type and one cooking type—engineered for resistance to BXW. ALSO READ: IN BRIEF:Banana diseases threatens crops in Sub-Saharan Africa-UN The research involves international partners, including the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the International Potato Center, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, and the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF). “Some of these varieties have shown promise in Uganda,” Nduwumuremyi said. “Full testing and approval in Rwanda may take three to five years before seeds reach farmers.” “The current management strategies are preventive, not curative,” she said. “The most sustainable solution is to develop resistant cultivars. Conventional breeding takes 10 to 15 years, but biotechnology can cut that to just a few years.” Musabyemungu noted that current control methods, such as uprooting and burying infected plants, often fail, especially when done improperly or during the rainy season, which can spread the disease further. Pacifique Nshimiyimana, head of the Alliance for Science Rwanda, said GM banana research could also help farmers battling Fusarium wilt. “Fusarium can remain in the soil for up to 40 years, making eradication nearly impossible,” he explained. “The research aims to provide farmers with resilient banana varieties that require fewer chemical treatments.” National targets and global trends According to Rwanda’s PSTA 5 strategy, cooking banana yields dropped by 16 per cent between 2018 and 2023 due to BXW, even though bananas contribute nearly 15 per cent of the country’s dietary energy. Rwanda aims to raise average yields from 14.2 tonnes per hectare in 2023 to 19.7 tonnes by 2028/29, boosting total production from 1.32 million tonnes to 1.67 million tonnes. Globally, GM banana research is advancing across Africa, Asia, South America, and the United States, focusing on disease resistance, germplasm improvement, and genetic fingerprinting. A GM Cavendish variety (QCAV-4) has already been approved in Australia for commercial production and consumption, engineered with resistance to Fusarium TR4.
