Rural communities in eastern Congo are facing a major crisis since their livelihoods and food security are negatively affected by a contagious disease targeting banana crops. The bacterial disease called wilt turns the banana leaves to yellow, rots the banana fruits and completely kills the tree. Small farmers in the region lose entire fields of bananas to wilt.
The situation is really devastating to residence and farmers in the affected region. Banana being a staple crop, the banana production in Congo is the source of the majority of revenues of households. Bananas play an important part in the economy of the country. People based their local diets on the fruit and the banana production gives them livelihood and food security.
"It's distressing to see how many farms have been absolutely destroyed by the disease. This whole area has changed dramatically in the last couple of years." says Muriel Calo, Food Security & Livelihoods Advisor for Action Against Hunger.
The disease aggravates the damage caused by violence in the conflict area. It adds to the burden of families and blocks their paths to recovery and reclaiming their normal lives.
"Since wilt infected my field, my banana production has plummeted, leaving me with no way to earn money to send my children to school and buy food for my family," said Bushu Kaoma, a father residing in the village of Nyabyuka.
Action Against Hunger is helping families and struggling farmers affected by the disease and the violence caused by conflict in eastern Congo. It is taking action by implementing a program to combat the wilt in North and South Kivu. These provinces are the most affected area of the disease and the ongoing conflict. Action Against Hunger is working alongside local authorities and groups to implement the program. Calo said, "Our partnerships with local groups are essential to ensuring the sustainable impact of this program."
Action Against Hunger is assisting the construction of wood-framed nurseries in 80 communities. They can grow healthy and unaffected banana shoots in sterilized sawdust in these nurseries. There are local committees who are in charge in the wilt situation in the regions. They are trained by Action Against Hunger and supported by the government. They are responsible for taking care of the healthy banana shoots. Healthy shoots will be later planted on the fields which are completely wilt-free. Farmers are also being trained to recognize wilt in their fields and to take actions to eradicate the wilt. There are weekly trainings on the importance of disinfecting tools, quarantining plant material, and clearing fields of infected trees. Action Against Hunger also gives local farmers, who have clear and wilt-free banana fields, seeds to grow alternative crops during the period of eradicating the wilt. Seeds of corn, beans and peanuts are provided to farmers to help them get back on their livelihoods.