Adapted from the presentation made by Alistair Smith, the International Coordinator of Banana Link, to the World Banana Forum.

An International Conference on Banana and Plantain in Africa: Harnessing International Partnerships to Increase Research Impact has been held in Mombasa, Kenya from 5 to 9 October, organized by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in partnership with Bioversity International, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) and the Kenyan Agricultural Research Institute (KARI).

Seen from the point of view of the buyers, carbon credits bear a striking resemblance to medieval church indulgences in that their immediate effect is not so much to curb the modern-day sin of emitting greenhouse gases, as to ease the conscience of the emitters. Wayne Hancock of Bioversity International argues that, used wisely, carbon trading schemes can not only provide benefits to the farmers receiving them but also play a role in conserving agricultural biodiversity since conserving diversity on farms is not easily achieved through market incentives.

Whilst banana and plantain are crucial to food security in most countries of tropical Africa, the continent is playing a growing role in the world banana trade. Alistair Smith, International Coordinator of the NGO Banana Link, argues that strengthening food security should be a much higher priority for Africa, despite the allure of plantation employment.