Geographic shifts in the highland cooking banana (Musa spp., group AAA-EA)production in Uganda

Between 1970 and 1990 Uganda witnessed the decline of the highland cooking banana from traditional growing areas in the central region, coupled with c rop expansion in the country's southwest. Apprehension that the factors lea ding to loss of sustainability in the central region may be replayed in ext ant production areas has raised concern about the future of the cooking ban ana in Uganda. Consequently, a multi-disciplinary study was conducted at ni ne central and six southwestern sites to document shifts in cooking banana production and to elucidate the causes behind these shifts. Cooking banana production in central Uganda sites fell from 18% of total fo od crop and 7% of total cash crop production in the 1970s to 4% and 2%, res pectively, in the 1990s. Farmers identified reduced labour availability and management, increasing pest pressure and declining soil nutrient status as the major causes of decline. On-farm verification confirmed farmers' obser vations: weevil levels were the highest yet found in Uganda, while foliar s amples indicated deficiencies in magnesium, nitrogen, and potassium. Soil n utrient deficiencies, however, appear to be a direct outcome of reduced man agement rather than 'soil exhaustion' as postulated by farmers. In southwestern Uganda, the importance of the cooking banana as a cash crop has quadrupled since 1970. Banana first penetrated the region because of i ts ease of production and stability of yield. High yields attracted traders and urban market demand drove further crop expansion. With current market incentives, banana management standards have been high. Under current level s of management, it is unlikely that farmers in southwestern Uganda will ex perience a similar process of decline as that which occurred in the central region. However, concern remains about lack of replenishment of nutrients leaving the farm in the form of fruits sold for market, a nutrient loss whi ch may eventually lead to non-sustainability of the cropping system.