This was the AfriCenter’s flagship project. It was initiated in 1997 by ISAAA and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI). The principal goal of introducing tissue culture (TC) technology into the banana sub-sector was to mitigate production constraints associated with lack of disease-free planting material.
The ISAAA-led tissue-cultured banana program has been recognized worldwide. In 2002 and 2006 the project was declared the 3rd best project during the eighth and tenth KARI Scientific Biennial Conferences, respectively.
One of the conspicuous performance indicators of the project is the extent to which the livelihoods of the adopting communities have been transformed. Incomes from banana sales rose by more than 38 per cent, resulting in increased household incomes, food security and improved livelihoods. Tissue-cultured banana activities have intensified in East Africa and attracted several donors and many partnerships throughout the banana value-chain.