Abstract:

Banana xanthomonas wilt (BXW) has been successfully controlled in major banana growing areas
between 2005 and 2008. This was due to combined use of participatory approaches for mobilising
technology users such as farmer field schools and Integrated Agricultural Research for development
(IAR4D) using cultural practices. However, the approaches focussed on small communities of about 30
to 300 farmers. Between 2010 and 2012, BXW prevalence in the region increased to 34 and 45%. In 2012,
the strategy for BXW control changed from approaches that target technology users at community
(village level) to those that target many technology users at regional level. Then the action plans of
districts and sub-counties were designed to achieve the goal of the regional action plan rather than
support action plans of a community. The overall implementation of the regional plan was spearheaded
and coordinated by the regional taskforce, instituted by regional stakeholders. BXW prevalence
reduced from about 45% in June 2012 to about 13% in September, 2013, with banana production
recovery of 40% from the peak of BXW epidemic in all the 10 districts of the Ankole region. The
approaches used have been described in this paper to hopefully contribute to scale out BXW control to
other main banana growing areas in Uganda and beyond.