Can genetic modification save the banana?

By any measure, the banana is one of the world’s most important foods. In North America and Europe, it’s an iconic symbol of health and fitness for millions of individuals, who consume an average of 26 pounds each year.

In contrast, many citizens in Africa and Asia consume that much each month. In these regions, the banana is a crucial staple crop that provides daily sustenance for more than 400 million people, and supports tens of thousands of smallholder farmers. And in Latin America, it’s a vital export crop, delivering millions in economic value. 
 

There are more than a thousand global banana varieties, but only one is relevant on every continent: the Cavendish. It burst on the global scene in 1947, saving the export industry, which was under attack from Panama disease. At the time, the export favorite was the Gros Michel. Between 1903 and 1947, a fungus called Tropical Race 1 (TR1) infested nearly every export-focused plantation on Earth with Panama disease, leading to the classification of Gros Michel as “commercially extinct.”  

The Cavendish has one key advantage over the Gros Michel: it is naturally resistant to TR1. Its thicker skin and slow ripening make it an ideal banana for international trade, since it handles transportation well and lasts longer in stores. 

Today, the Cavendish is a Latin American export staple, making up 99 percent of the bananas consumed in Europe and North America. In Africa and Asia, it is popular with smallholder farmers who prize its ability to produce more fruit per plant.

Avoiding a Repeat of Banana History

After nearly six decades as the world’s leading banana, the Cavendish is now facing a serious threat of its own. TR4, the latest version of the fungus that causes Panama disease, was first discovered in 1990, on banana plantations in Malaysia. It has since spread across Asia, and was discovered in Jordan and Mozambique in 2013.

Like TR1, TR4 can’t be treated. No fungicides1 are effective, and it can remain dormant in soil for decades, lying in wait for future crops to devastate. It can also travel long distances easily, trapped in soil on shoes, clothing, and equipment. The Cavendish is not resistant to TR4, which potentially places the world’s entire export crop at risk.

The disease also poses a threat to the hundreds of regional varieties in use today. Some experts estimate that as much as 85 percent of global banana production could be affected by TR4, a prospect that prompted the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization to establish the World Banana Forum.  

Fortunately, TR4 has not been discovered in Latin America, where the world’s leading exporters are growing the Cavendish. However, most observers agree its arrival is only a matter of time, making it likely that within the next decade growers will have to make some hard decisions.

The Unique Case of Africa

It’s hard to overstate the importance of the banana in developing countries. More than 400 million people rely on bananas for between 15 and 27 percent of their daily calories. In Central and East Africa alone, half of permanent cropland is dedicated to banana cultivation.

Breeding Challenges:

Sterility, Genetic Modification, and Nutrition

The tremendous success of the Gros Michel and the Cavendish meant that few resources were dedicated to banana breeding over the past century. Industry breeders and academics have only recently begun paying closer attention. They are encountering another obstacle: most cultivated varieties of banana are sterile, making it very difficult to conduct breeding research. So difficult, in fact, that Chiquita (the world’s largest producer of bananas) conducted a 40-year breeding effort to find a suitable alternative to the Cavendish, and came away with nothing. 

There is hope, however. Early results from two different global efforts using genetic modification to improve the banana are encouraging. 

To combat Xanthomonas wilt, Kenyan researchers have introduced the sweet pepper genes Hrap and Pflp, which are resistant to other fungal diseases.  One trial produced 100 percent resistance in two local varieties.  To overcome TR4, scientists in Australia have inserted a gene from the wild banana RGA2 into the Cavendish.  The resulting variety was 100 percent resistant after a three-year period of exposure to the disease. 

Another reason for optimism are efforts like the Breeding Better Bananas program, created by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and the World Banana Forum, a product of the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The IITA is focused on the Great Lakes Region of Africa, with a mandate to advance breeding efforts in Tanzania and Uganda, two nations where bananas are crucial. The FAO’s World Banana Forum is a global effort to unite the entire supply chain and build consensus on responding to contemporary challenges. 

Enhancing Nutrient Content

Disease resistance isn’t the only category of research currently underway. Africans also face serious nutrition challenges. The United Nations classifies more than 200 million inhabitants as undernourished. Vitamin A deficiencies are especially troublesome, contributing to stunted growth and increased risk of infection and blindness. In response, Australian researchers have combined the genetic material from the Vitamin A-rich Papua New Guinea banana with the Cavendish. Early results are promising, but a commercial solution remains a few years away.

A fortified banana could provide a much-needed double benefit for the region. Citizens could have a source of Vitamin A to help them fight through malnutrition, while farmers could solidify their long-term prosperity with these new types of bananas.

Growing a Middle Class

Empowered farmers can accomplish a lot, but among the most important contributions they make involve improved standards of living in their surrounding community. 

The global pattern over the past century is clear: when living standards rise, other benefits soon follow. Prosperous communities can allow members of the local population to attend school and start small businesses. That, in turn, leads to increases in the local standard of living. Living standards also affect community health, allowing citizens to purchase more quality food for their families, continuing the positive domino effect.

In Africa, many are imagining a better tomorrow. For farmers in the region, the banana has become an important source of stability. In nations like Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda, it provides daily nourishment for citizens and stable income for farmers. It has become so important to local farmers that education officials have noted a correlation between families starting a banana plantation and their children attending local schools.

The Link Between Markets and Sustainability

For smallholder farmers, moving beyond subsistence farming has a ripple effect. In addition to the community benefits of improved living standards, there is the possibility of improved environmental sustainability. This pattern has repeated itself elsewhere: every region that conquered subsistence concerns was freed to focus on more efficient use of natural resources.

Investing in conservation and sustainability requires stability, which can only be achieved when farmers are consistently producing surpluses. For African banana farmers, the benefits provided by GM crops means they can consider investing in digital tools and precision equipment, which in turn can help them use fewer resources like water, land, and energy. Not only do their communities improve, but so does the environment, leaving more for the generations to come.

In regions where farmers are export-focused, the same links exist between prosperity and sustainability. In Colombia, for example, banana plantations are using the Internet of Things to improve productivity and resource use efficiency. Wireless sensors, weather stations, drones, and satellites are all helping farmers closely monitor their crops, so they can use only what’s necessary.

Modern Agriculture’s Commitment to Tomorrow

This is the second time during the past century that the global banana industry has faced a threat of this magnitude. The main difference is today, modern agriculture has a lot more ways to respond. Genetic modification, digital tools, and data science offer powerful tools to save the banana and make the industry more environmentally and economically sustainable.

The fascinating thing about this story is the mix of solutions for today and potential solutions for the future. Hunger, nutrition, and standards of living? The GM banana can help with all three. Community development and environmental sustainability require longer-term thinking, and a GM banana could help with them as well.  

That’s modern agriculture: working today to provide solutions to help create the best possible tomorrow.