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Practical Nutrition: Roots, Tubers and Bananas Theme Month

woman with bananas

Roots, tubers and bananas (RTB crops) are the foundation of food security for millions of people across Asia, Africa and Latin America. They will be increasingly important in response to climate change, population growth and urbanization; and they can contribute essential micronutrients such as iron, zinc and vitamin A that are especially important for good health in children and mothers. A research brief from the CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas (RTB) makes a strong case for the fundamental importance of its mandate crops within One CGIAR, the ongoing reformulation of CGIAR’s partnerships, knowledge, assets and global presence. With further research and development, enhanced yields of RTB crops will help to address the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1 of ending poverty. To date, however, research investment in RTB crops has lagged.

We often get asked why bananas are lumped together with roots and tubers. Partly, this has to do with the way they are grown; but it also has to do with their key role as staples — that are more perishable than cereals — in many developing countries. These crops are all vegetatively propagated from bulky and perishable planting material. This creates common challenges for seed production and distribution, as well as severe challenges from disease accumulation, and its subsequent spread. In addition, seed systems are mostly informal, with farmers sharing planting material from their fields. 

Across the humid tropics of Africa, RTB crops are the principal staples, supplying 25%-57% of calories in the diet. As they are bulky, perishable and often eaten fresh, they pose common challenges for post-harvest systems as well as opportunities for adding value. Despite this dependence, the low productivity of RTB crops in sub-Saharan Africa reduces their contribution to addressing undernutrition in rural populations. At the same time, inefficient traditional post-harvest management and supply chain logistics for RTB value chains mean that countries import large quantities of staple grains for rapidly growing urban populations.

Outside the humid tropics of Africa and in most of Asia and Latin America, RTB crops are important in rotation with cereals and legumes and agroforestry systems. Roots, tubers and bananas enhance resilience because they often have key traits that enable them to survive shifting weather patterns, including droughts and flooding, adverse soil conditions like salinity and waterlogging, as well as catastrophic events such as tropical storms (because roots and tubers are buried safely underground).

  • Posts and Events
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a group of sweet potato vine sellers sit in a row in front of a corrugated metal fence. Their goods are on the ground in bundles in front of them.

Identifying Entry Points for Effective Seed System Interventions

Seed tracing studies can support the identification of entry points for the introduction of quality seeds and varieties and interventions that limit the spread of pests and diseases.

Conny Almekinders

May 24, 2021
Agricultural Productivity Education and Extension Gender Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
a man in a greenhouse leans over trays of potato plants.

How One Plant Breeder Innovates to Tackle the Biggest Challenges in Potato Breeding

The director of the Feed the Future Biotechnology Potato Partnership shares his thoughts on the future of global potato breeding.

Agrilinks Team

May 19, 2021
Agricultural Productivity
May theme month banner webinar
icn-agrilinks-event Agrilinks Event

Enhancing Root, Tuber and Banana Crops’ Contribution to Food and Nutrition Security

May 27, 2021 online
This webinar presents recent advances and new innovations and approaches for this vital crop group supported by the work of the CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers & Bananas (RTB)
Agricultural Productivity Nutrition
A man stands in a sand pit. He is removing sprouted sweet potato roots.

Let’s Build Back Better! A Strategy for Sweet Potato Vine Distribution

Learn about Triple S (storage in sand and sprouting), a root-based approach to maintain sweet potato vines over long dry seasons.
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Margaret McEwan

May 13, 2021
Agricultural Productivity Nutrition Resilience
Hands holding a few sweet potatoes in a field

New Approaches to Breed More Roots, Tubers and Banana Crop Varieties

Plant breeders must anticipate which traits are needed for an RTB crop variety to be adopted, but how can we ensure they are being gender inclusive?
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Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement

May 10, 2021
Agricultural Productivity Gender
family eats cassava

Placing Revolutions in Digital Agriculture into the Hands of Extension Workers and Smallholder Farmers

AKILIMO is a digital advisory service used by over 170,000 smallholder cassava growers in Nigeria and Tanzania, and co-created by over 30 partners.
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Pieter Pypers

May 06, 2021
Agricultural Productivity
man in cassava field

The Golden Eggs That Keep On Giving

CGIAR created frameworks, approaches and tools together with their community of developers and users that show the value-added of the RTB partnership collaboration. We call them golden eggs.
profile image of SARAH FERNANDES profile image of Graham Thiele

SARAH FERNANDES

Graham Thiele

May 04, 2021
Agricultural Productivity Climate and Natural Resources Education and Extension Markets and Trade Gender Nutrition Resilience Youth
woman with bananas

The Importance of Roots, Tubers and Bananas for a More Sustainable Food Future

Roots, tubers and bananas are the foundation of food security for millions of people across Asia, Africa and Latin America. However, research investment in RTB crops has lagged.

Agrilinks Team

May 03, 2021
Agricultural Productivity
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