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PROMUSA: A FIRST EXPERIENCE OF GLOBAL PROGRAMME IN HORTICULTURE
Emile A. FRISON 1, Wanda W. COLLINS 2 and
Suzanne L. SHARROCK 3
1Director, International Network for the Improvement of
Banana and Plantain, IPGRI, Montpellier, France
2Agricultural Research Adviser, Environmentally Sustainable
Development (ESDAR), World Bank, Washington, D. C. (Wcollins@worldbank.org)
3Scientific Assistant, International Network for the Improvement
of Banana and Plantain, IPGRI, Montpellier, France (S.Sharrock@cgnet.com)
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INTRODUCTION
 Horticulture
may be defined as the (generally) small-scale cultivation of fruit
and vegetable crops. A very wide range of plant species can be included
as horticultural crops, ranging from those that are of purely local
significance, cultivated predominantly for home consumption, to those
which are of major commercial importance on a global scale, citrus
fruits and tomatoes for example. Despite the fact that horticultural
crops are of great importance for both food and income security for
rural communities world wide, horticultural research has received
scant attention at the international level. The potential role that
horticulture may play in alleviating the suffering of the more than
800 million people who remain undernourished has thus never been fully
explored. International efforts have essentially been focused on a
small number of globally important agricultural crops. Significant
investment in international research on these crops has taken place
through the establishment of the International Agricultural Research
Centres (IARCs), which played a key role in preventing mass starvation
in the '60s and '70s through the green revolution. However, the significant
progress made has been limited to only a few crops and generally for
production in favourable environments. Little impact has been made
in marginal areas or on the large number of fruit and vegetable crops,
which although less globally important, are of great importance at
the local and regional level. The world continues to face the major
challenge of increasing food production in a sustainable manner and
improving family farm income in order to ensure household food security,
while at the same time conserving the natural resource base. More
attention to the large number of species which play an essential role
in food security and income generation at the regional and local level
is required. However, due to the large number of species involved,
the IARC approach is clearly not practical. New mechanisms to bring
about international activities in horticultural research are required.
Researchers, extensionists and end users must work together in a participative
manner to increase production and productivity in a sustainable fashion,
and to allow the benefits to reach the poorest and most needy of farmers.
International
horticultural research may be considered an important sub-set of international
agricultural research and as such, fits within the global agricultural
research system. The vision of a global system grew out of the recognition
of the scale of the challenges facing international agricultural research
and of the need to make the most effective use of limited resources
by building on strong cost-effective partnerships. A comprehensive
global research agenda has thus been elaborated and a significant
challenge to the global system will be to devise instruments to effectively
address such an agenda and bring partners together to implement research
activities within it. This paper discusses one implementation mechanism:
the development of participative global programmes in specific problem
areas. One such programme which has recently been developed, the Global
Programme for Musa Improvement (PROMUSA) is used as a model
to demonstrate the programme development process.
The need for a Global Programme 
Bananas
and plantains are one of the world's most important yet poorly studied
crops. In terms of gross value of production, bananas and plantains
are the fourth most important global food crop (Tribe, 1994). Export
bananas are the fourth most important commodity and, as a fruit, rank
first. Bananas and plantains constitute a major staple food crop for
millions of people in developing countries of the tropics. They are
grown over a harvested area of approximately 10 million hectares,
with an annual production of around 86 million metric tons (FAO, 1995).
The vast majority of producers are small-scale farmers growing the
crop either for home consumption or for local markets. Bananas and
plantains grow in a range of environments and will produce fruit year-round,
providing a source of energy during the "hungry-period" between crop
harvests. As well as being a cheap and easily produced source of energy,
they are also rich in vitamins. It is for these reasons, and the fact
that they provide a valued source of income through local and international
trade, that bananas and plantains are of major importance to food
security.
Bananas
grown for export, which are almost exclusively of one variety ? 'Cavendish'
? account for little more than 10% of global production. The remaining
87% or so of production is made up of a very wide range of varieties,
each adapted to a specific eco-region and selected for specific eating
or cooking qualities. These include the true plantains of West Africa
and Central and South America, the highland bananas of East Africa
(which as well as being a staple food crop, are also used for beer-making)
the cooking bananas of Southeast Asia and the Americas and the Pacific
Maia Moali/Popoulu type of banana (INIBAP, 1994).
In
recent years, banana and plantain production worldwide has become
increasingly affected by growing pest and disease pressures, the most
notable example being the rapid global spread of the fungal disease,
black Sigatoka (Mycosphaerella fijiensis). The disease was
originally identified in Fiji in 1964, and its first appearance outside
Asia was in Honduras in 1972. This was followed by the development
of a serious epidemic throughout central America. In Costa Rica alone,
the cost of controlling the disease during the 1980s was estimated
at approximately US$17.5 million/year (Gowen, 1995). By the late 1970s
the disease had spread to Africa where it has now been recorded in
19 countries. It was the spread of this disease to Africa, and its
potentially devastating consequences to smallholder producers, that
was one of the factors which led to the creation of INIBAP in 1984.
Most important and widely grown cultivars are susceptible to black
Sigatoka which causes severe leaf necrosis and can reduce yields by
30-50% (Stover and Simmonds, 1987).
Considerable
losses are also caused by a soil-borne disease, Fusarium wilt (Panama
disease) which is present in virtually every area where bananas are
extensively grown and which affects many important cultivars of banana
and plantain. Viruses are also a major constraint to production and
can cause losses of up to 100% in some areas (Brunt et al, 1990).
In addition, a complex of plant parasitic nematodes cause serious
yield reductions in all regions (Speijer and De Waele, 1997).
Chemicals
can be used to control many of the pests and diseases affecting banana
and plantain production, but the costs, both economically and environmentally,
are high. The need for resistant cultivars as the main component of
an integrated system for pest management is imperative. Resistant
varieties are needed which are suitable for the varied needs of smallholder
producers in many countries world-wide. Economic studies carried out
by IITA on plantain production in west Africa have shown that the
use of black Sigatoka resistant germplasm can have a comparative advantage
of 10:1 over fungicide use and, from this, it has been estimated that
the use of black Sigatoka resistant varieties could have an impact
of some US$6.2 billion per year for Africa as a whole (Ortiz and Vuylsteke,
1994).
Biologically,
Musa improvement is very difficult due to the intrinsic difficulties
in breeding a crop in which almost all the important cultivars are
highly sterile. Consequently, few funds were directed towards Musa
improvement research and very few national programmes had the resources
to embark on Musa breeding research. Recent developments in breeding
and biotechnology have allowed some of the barriers to genetic improvement
to be overcome, and significant progress has been made.
Nevertheless,
the genetic improvement of bananas and plantains remains an expensive
and slow task, and, considering the scale and diversity of the problems
facing banana and plantain growers world-wide, Musa improvement efforts
are still under-funded and insufficient. It is only through close
international collaboration, drawing together and building on the
limited number of on-going initiatives in Musa improvement, that a
significant impact can be expected in years to come.
Establishment of the Programme
During
1996 it was proposed that a global Musa improvement programme should
be developed with the aim of bringing together all the major efforts
in the area of banana and plantain improvement world-wide. INIBAP
and the World Bank, through a participative process involving extensive
consultation with more than 50 individuals and partner institutes
in the scientific and donor communities developed an initial proposal
for the programme. The International Institute for Tropical Agriculture
(IITA), a CGIAR centre which has a very important Musa improvement
programme, was also an important contributor at this stage. The proposal
was further refined through continued interaction, incorporating inputs
and suggestions received from the many partners.
This
participative approach enabled INIBAP to produce a final draft proposal
which represented the views of a wide range of interested parties.
The proposal incorporated a list of priority areas for research based
on the experience of researchers in both developed and developing
countries who were involved in the participative process of developing
the proposal. A tentative structure for the programme was proposed
based on suggestions of the potential partners. This proposal was
presented at a meeting jointly organised by INIBAP and the World Bank
which brought together more than 70 researchers involved in Musa improvement
as well as representatives of the donor community. During this meeting
and after much debate and discussion of different views, the programme
structure, modus operandi, and a medium term plan of activities were
agreed upon. The process was an iterative one with groups meeting,
formulating proposed activities, discussing, reformulating and finally
presenting to the group as a whole for agreement and approval. As
a result of the general agreement reached through that intense, collaborative,
and open process, the Global Programme for Musa Improvement, PROMUSA,
was formally launched in March 1997.
PROMUSA
was developed as a broad based programme aiming to involve all the
major players in Musa improvement and as a means to link the work
carried out towards addressing the problems of export banana producers
with those initiatives directed towards improving banana and plantain
production at the subsistence and smallholder level. The global programme
builds upon existing achievements and is based upon ongoing research
initiatives. PROMUSA is therefore a mechanism to further maximise
the outputs and accelerate the impact of the overall Musa improvement
effort. The programme is an innovative mechanism to bring together
research carried out both within and outside the CGIAR, creating new
partnerships between NARS and research institutes in both developing
and developed countries. It is also hoped that PROMUSA will provide
a suitable framework within which the private sector can be encouraged
to actively participate in Musa research activities.
The
strategy of PROMUSA is to produce improved, farmer accepted, Musa
varieties through the development and application of conventional
and biotechnological breeding approaches, incorporating resistance
to pests and diseases to increase productivity and reduce pesticide
use, operating in an environment in which collaborative partnerships
and close interactions are fostered.
Partnerships within PROMUSA
Partnerships
will underpin this global programme and are intended to be active
at all levels of programme management and implementation. The programme,
when fully functional, will operate as a series of interlinked thematic
working groups co-ordinated by an Executive Secretariat. It is directed
by a Steering Committee which has been chosen to represent NARS, ARIs
and IARCs. PROMUSA operates under a Programme Support Group which
is composed of major donors and stakeholders and which held its first
meeting in Cairo in May 1997. While modalities of operation are not
fixed, PROMUSA intends to operate as a consortium relying on a range
of funding mechanisms. Partners in the programme are expected to contribute
in-kind research activities which they have underway that address
the goals and objectives of the global programme. In addition, the
programme will seek further resources to address priority research
needs, as identified by the programme partners. Participation in PROMUSA
is based on the capacity to contribute through a high scientific capability
in Musa improvement research and on comparative advantage within
that research agenda.
Research
teams will operate through the formation of key thematic working groups,
which function as networks. Through this mechanism, the formation
of collaborative projects between working group members, resulting
in a division of labour and the creation of synergies, is facilitated.
The working groups are the heart of the programme. The members of
these groups will implement the programme work plan through a project
portfolio developed by the group addressing their specific problem
area. It will include projects carried out by individual participants
as well as collaborative projects involving a number of participants
funded through various mechanisms. Working groups have been established
to cover the major research needs, which at this stage include Genetic
improvement, Fusarium wilt disease, Sigatoka disease, Nematodes and
Viruses.
Decision
making within PROMUSA will follow a 'bottom-up' approach and participating
scientists will be fully involved in this process. Decisions on programme
activities will be based on scientific priorities identified by programme
participants which are themselves based on users' needs.
INIBAP
is responsible for providing the Executive Secretariat to PROMUSA
and, with the close links it has already established with many national
programmes through regional banana research networks, it is ideally
placed to foster close collaboration between programme participants.
Programme activities
The
major thrust of PROMUSA is to develop a wide range of new banana hybrids
suitable for production under varying environmental conditions by
banana growers worldwide. To this end, the programme brings together
conventional breeding based on hybridization techniques with genetic
engineering and other biotechnological approaches. On-going and new
research will be directed towards developing efficient breeding strategies
based on the identification and use of new sources of resistance and
on the integration of conventional breeding and biotechnology methodologies.
This includes the identification of molecular markers and their use
in marker-assisted breeding and the development of biotechnological
tools to further strengthen breeding programmes. The aim is to produce,
for the different types of bananas, disease and pest resistant varieties
with a wide genetic base.
This
broad-based genetic improvement effort will be supported by research
being carried out by three working groups focusing on Sigatoka disease,
Fusarium wilt and nematodes. Such research will contribute towards
the identification of sources of resistance to these pathogens and
to a better understanding of the types of resistance and their inheritance.
In addition, information will be gathered on pathogenic variability
and the geographic distribution of the major nematode pest species
and of the Sigatoka and Fusarium fungi.
A further working
group will conduct research on the control of the major viruses in
Musa through the production of transgenic virus-resistant clones
and on the development of robust diagnostic systems in order to facilitate
germplasm movement.
Improved
varieties produced within the framework of PROMUSA will be evaluated
and disseminated through a global and regional evaluation programme.
The participation of NARS in this activity ensures not only that improved
hybrids are made available to them at an early stage, but also, through
the creation of linkages, the two-way flow of information between
breeding/research programmes and evaluation sites is facilitated.
The global and regional Musa germplasm evaluation programme
therefore plays a major role in PROMUSA providing a mechanism for
information exchange. INIBAP's International Musa Testing Programme
(IMTP) which was launched in 1989 with the support of UNDP, has recently
been restructured in order to better serve the evaluation and dissemination
needs of PROMUSA. The provision by NARS of feedback information regarding
farmers' needs is of particular importance in setting research priorities.
The existing regional banana research networks also provide a useful
channel through which information from national programmes is fed
back to the global programme.
Conclusions
Global
programmes such as PROMUSA, which have broad participation from world-wide
partners including NARs, ARIs and IARCs, allow research priorities
to be established at the global level, while the work itself is carried
out mainly at the national or regional level. Comparative advantages
are fully exploited while at the same time fostering the principles
of subsidiarity and equity. In other words, research is carried out
at the lowest possible level of the global - regional - national-
hierarchy and efficiency and effectiveness are maximised in an equitable
fashion.
The
difficult issues associated with global agricultural research are
not necessarily minimized themselves by the formation of global programmes.
Priority-setting remains a difficult and contentious issue; resources
still have to be mobilized; and technologies must still be developed
and transferred. The value of global programmes is that they provide
one route for the relevant set of actors in the global community to
come together, each with its own comparative advantage, and work in
unison to achieve goals they have set for themselves with a synergistic
effect that adds value as well as making the entire process more effective
and more efficient.
Participants
in global programmes benefit in many ways including:
- global prioritisation of research needs;
- improved possibilities for funding for programme participants
due to recognition of the programme by donor agencies;
- close interactions with, and knowledge of, other research teams
within their area of specialisation;
- opportunities for interdependent research projects (i.e. projects
requiring interdisciplinary and complementary partnerships);
- improved access to information and resources; and participation
in programme meetings and conferences.
Global
programmes encourage new and innovative partnerships to be forged
between the various programme participants thus facilitating the creation
of synergies. They also play an important role in information exchange
and result dissemination. With the participation of both the private
and public sector in global programmes, they provide opportunity for
the discussion of issues of a global nature, such as intellectual
property rights, which have implications for programme implementation.
In addition, the involvement of NARS as partners at all levels has
the effect of strengthening the capacity of such NARS to conduct specific
crop-related research and in facilitating the transfer of technology
and expertise.
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