Overview

Banana is an important food and cash crop for many small-scale farmers in Kenya. With suitable growing conditions, good-quality planting materials, and effective crop management, bananas can provide food for the household and a regular supply of fruit for sale.

FIPS promotes improved varieties, including Grande Naine, and supports farmers to access healthy planting materials. Through VBAs, farmers receive practical advice on crop establishment, soil fertility, water management, and the prevention and management of pests and diseases.

Support Farmers Receive from VBAs

Selecting banana varieties suited to local growing conditions, farmers’ needs, and market demand.
Accessing tissue-culture seedlings or certified disease-free planting materials of improved varieties from reliable sources.
Establishing banana plants correctly, including site selection, land preparation, spacing, planting, and mulching.
Improving soil fertility and nutrient management to support healthy plant growth and fruit production.
Managing water efficiently and conserving soil moisture, particularly during dry periods.
Maintaining healthy and productive banana stools by selecting and managing mother, daughter, and granddaughter plants, removing excess suckers, and applying good agricultural practices.
Identifying, preventing, and managing common pests and diseases.
Harvesting and handling banana bunches correctly to maintain quality and reduce losses.
Accessing local markets and building links with reliable buyers.

Pro-Tip

Think three generations ahead. Maintain a mother plant, a healthy daughter, and a granddaughter on each banana stool. Removing excess suckers reduces competition for water and nutrients, helping to maintain a more continuous cycle of banana production.

Farmer Voice

"I had banana trees from my father's time but they kept producing small, spotty bunches. The VBA explained this was from old nematode-infected suckers. I replanted with tissue culture plants on one side of my farm. The difference after two years was remarkable — the bunches were three times heavier and the skin was smooth. I replanted my whole banana plot."

Judith Adhiambo

Farmer, Busia County

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