Banana, Plantain and Pineapple Cropping Systems
Although export fruit crops are a major source of jobs and currency, they are now often barely viable, in agronomic, economic or social terms. These fruit monocultures often cause pollution and impoverish the environment. The markets are increasingly competitive and consumers increasingly demanding. Banana and pineapple are at the very heart of this issue, and the only likely solution is to switch from the conventional intensive monoculture systems to sustainable cropping systems.
The unit is using CIRAD’s international expertise in banana and pineapple farming system management to recommend new practices. The central assumption is that taking an ecofriendly approach to production, developed through integrated research, including diagnosis and the design and management of cropping systems, is compatible with a market-oriented rationale.