Kenya Chura Community Tissue Culture Banana Project

Banana is an important food security crop in Kenya, but production is threatened by disease and other productivity challenges.

DuPont proactively supported an Africa-based NGO, Africa Harvest, seeking to create a model for improving agricultural productivity and market opportunities to benefit the African community for years to come. This project helped increase sustainable farmer incomes, alleviate hunger and poverty and develop agri-based businesses to improve the economy of the community and surrounding areas. The Tissue Culture Banana Project elements included education and training of farmers to use clean, disease and insect-free planting materials such as tissue culture propagation techniques, self-sufficiency in food production, identification and development of market delivery channels and establishment of small farm-based businesses.

The project transferred modern technologies to small farmers in Africa. It introduced and expanded the use of tissue culture banana seedlings technology transfer and brought farmers improved management practices. Additionally, this project created improved market opportunities to bring farmers closer to the markets they serve and opened up new market channels, which will improve the revenue prospects for banana producers.