The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has joined forces with Clemson University in a landmark collaboration aimed at transforming banana farming across Africa while generating agricultural innovations that could also benefit growers in South Carolina, USA.
According to the university’s news update, the partnership, backed by a new $1.2 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, seeks to tackle persistent challenges in banana production — from disease to inconsistent planting materials — and deliver scalable solutions for smallholder farmers.
Under the agreement, Clemson researchers will work directly with scientists from IITA — a nonprofit agricultural research organisation headquartered in Nigeria and part of the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centres (CGIAR) global research network — to develop a cutting-edge hydroponic propagation system for bananas.
This system is intended to produce clean, reliable banana starter plants at large scale and at low cost, addressing one of the major bottlenecks in banana farming: access to quality planting materials.
Once perfected for use in Africa, the technology may be adapted for other crops such as strawberries and sweet potatoes cultivated in South Carolina, creating cross-continental agricultural benefits.
Bananas and plantains are staple foods for millions of Africans and a critical source of income for smallholder farmers across the continent. However, banana production in many regions is constrained by diseases, pests and the lack of uniform, disease-free planting materials.
IITA has long conducted research into improving banana yields and resilience, including breeding programmes and seed system innovations in partnership with national agricultural research organisations across Africa.
The new collaboration builds on this foundation by combining IITA’s deep expertise in tropical crop systems with Clemson’s engineering and horticultural research capabilities.
By harnessing hydroponics — a soil-less cultivation method that can enhance plant growth and health — the project aims to generate starter plants that can establish more vigorously in farmers’ fields, thereby boosting productivity and reducing pre-plant losses.
For Clemson University, the partnership represents an opportunity to extend its research impact to global food security challenges while drawing lessons applicable to US agriculture.
Banana farming itself is not commercially widespread in South Carolina, but the propagation technologies developed through this initiative could have broader applications, especially for high-value horticultural crops grown in controlled environments.
For IITA, the collaboration underscores a continued commitment to science-driven solutions that improve food systems in sub-Saharan Africa — enhancing yields, building farmer resilience and supporting livelihoods.
The institute’s work on bananas, alongside other mandate crops, remains central to its mission of reducing hunger and boosting rural incomes through research partnerships and innovation.
As the initiative advances, stakeholders from both continents are hopeful that the innovations will not only revolutionise banana propagation in Africa’s smallholder systems but also catalyse new agricultural practices that strengthen food systems more broadly.
