Help to shape banana research priority setting

Research resources are scarce and making research portfolio decisions is complex and challenging. As part of a multi-crop priority assessment exercise coordinated by the CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas (RTB), the impact of different research investments for bananas in terms of economic benefits, poverty reduction and number of beneficiaries has been estimated to provide a basis for prioritizing RTB’s research investments.

To close the consultation loop on this exercise, RTB is inviting stakeholders to participate in an online feedback survey. The survey answers will give the banana community the opportunity of evaluating the parameters used, and as such help to improve the quality of the results. Feedback on the methodology will also help adjust any future efforts. The survey takes only 15-20 minutes to complete. Currently, only the English version is available; the French and Spanish versions will be online by the end of the week. The feedback will be analyzed anonymously and shared on the Strategic Assessment of Banana Research Priorities website (available in English, French and Spanish).

To prepare for the survey, browse RTB’s knowledge toolkit to discover the method used to assess research priorities, starting with the results of an online survey to elicit the key constraints faced by small-scale banana producers. The survey, to which more than 500 banana specialists from 54 countries responded, led to the identification of the research options that were assessed.

The expected economic benefits and poverty reduction effects of the identified research options were then calculated using an economic surplus model and subsequent Cost-Benefit Analysis. The results are very encouraging and show that research benefits can run into billions of dollars: thus benefiting up to 31 million people and contributing to lift more than 3 million people out of poverty.

Take the Strategic Assessment of Banana Research Priorities: Feedback Survey

^{Photo: Musa germplasm collection, Uganda. Credit: Bioversity International/N. Capozio}