Vitamin A rich banana adoption in Cibitoke and Gitega, Burundi- a field diagnostic study

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cg.authorship.typesCGIAR single centreen
cg.contributor.affiliationBioversity Internationalen
cg.contributor.donorCGIAR Trust Funden
cg.contributor.initiativeWest and Central African Food Systems Transformation
cg.coverage.countryBurundi
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2BI
cg.coverage.regionAfrica
cg.coverage.regionEastern Africa
cg.coverage.regionSub-Saharan Africa
cg.creator.identifierWalter Ocimati: 0000-0001-6177-7073
cg.creator.identifierInnocent Nduwimana: 0000-0001-7110-354X
cg.creator.identifierGuy Blomme: 0000-0002-3857-964X
cg.creator.identifierBeatrice Ekesa: 0000-0002-2630-258X
cg.subject.actionAreaResilient Agrifood Systems
cg.subject.alliancebiovciatBANANAen
cg.subject.alliancebiovciatNUTRITIONen
cg.subject.impactAreaEnvironmental health and biodiversity
cg.subject.impactAreaNutrition, health and food security
cg.subject.impactAreaPoverty reduction, livelihoods and jobs
cg.subject.sdgSDG 1 - No povertyen
cg.subject.sdgSDG 2 - Zero hungeren
cg.subject.sdgSDG 3 - Good health and well-beingen
dc.contributor.authorOcimati, Walteren
dc.contributor.authorBizoza, Saidien
dc.contributor.authorNduwimana, Innocenten
dc.contributor.authorIradukunda, Francoisen
dc.contributor.authorBlomme, Guyen
dc.contributor.authorEkesa, Beatriceen
dc.date.accessioned2023-01-17T08:24:22Zen
dc.date.available2023-01-17T08:24:22Zen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/127269
dc.titleVitamin A rich banana adoption in Cibitoke and Gitega, Burundi- a field diagnostic studyen
dcterms.abstractVitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a widespread problem in the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Here the population is predominantly reliant plant-based diets. Thus, identification of popular food sources with higher vitamin A contents is a suitable means for addressing VAD. For example, Burundi has a VAD prevalence of 46%. In this region, bananas and plantains are a cheap staple food crop and therefore, offer a good avenue for supplying vitamin A in the diets. To address VAD in the region, Bioversity International under through Consortium for Improving Agriculture-based Livelihoods in Central Africa (CIALCA) and HarvestPlus grants undertook studies to fast-track deployment of native and introduced pro-vitamin A rich bananas. Through the OneCGIAR - TAFS WCA and CIALCA bridge year funds, the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) undertook an adoption study of the VABs in the pilot sites in Burundi to inform plans for a wider scaling effort. The study interviewed 332 household heads, had qualitative discussions in four focus groups. A positive perception was observed among farmers growing the VABs due to their early maturity, high vitamin A content, and long storage life. Adoption rates among initial beneficiaries were 45% in Gitega and 12% in Cibitoke. These rates could have been higher if not for the impact of COVID-19 that interrupted project activities and prevented additional support to the farmers, just after accessing the plantlets. For example, some farmers were skeptical of the small macro-propagated plantlets as they were used to using suckers, and as such failed to plant them. Some lost plants due to the dry spell, yet simple practices such as mulching could have sustained the plants. In Cibitoke, the government policy assigning the region to rice production led to uprooting and abandonment of banana by most households, including those in the pilot area, leading to the low adoption. However, willingness to adopt these materials was high, varying between 86-90% across the sites. The adopters were observed to have expanded the area under the VAB. Diffusion from the adopters to other farmers was also high, with two farmers reporting to have shared over 200 suckers with over 70 farmers in Gitega. Alternative uses including beer making had been identified by farmers at the time of the study. Access to planting materials and awareness on the nutritional value of the VABs, especially among indirect beneficiaries, were a major stumbling block to VAB adoption, expansion, and use. Thus, scaling efforts will need to focus on establishing robust seed systems and enhancing community awareness on the importance of vitamin A in their diets. Some farmers were observed to have a large influence on the dissemination of planting materials, thus, could be targeted as conduits in a more sustainable and robust seed system. Ongoing efforts to co-invest with partners such as ENABEL, World Vision, and the NARS will be handy in furthering the adoption and use of these varieties.en
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dcterms.bibliographicCitationOcimati, W.; Bizoza, S.; Nduwimana, I.; Iradukunda, F.; Blomme, G.; Ekesa, B. (2022) Vitamin A rich banana adoption in Cibitoke and Gitega, Burundi- a field diagnostic study. 45 p.en
dcterms.extent45 p.en
dcterms.issued2022-12
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-4.0
dcterms.subjectbananasen
dcterms.subjectnutritionen
dcterms.subjectfood securityen
dcterms.subjectvitamin a deficiencyen
dcterms.subjectfarming systemsen
dcterms.subjectinnovation adoptionen
dcterms.typeReport

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Alliance Research Lever 4: Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture
CGIAR Initiative on West and Central African Food Systems Transformation