Vulnerability of Smallholder Musaceae Producers to Foc TR4: An Exploratory Analysis in Six Latin American Countries
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55996/dekamuagropec.v7i1.379Keywords:
Banana; biosecurity; Fusarium wilt; phytosanitary risk; plantain; preventionAbstract
Bananas and plantains play a crucial role in food security and rural livelihoods for millions of families in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium odoratissimum (formerly Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense), Tropical Race 4 (Foc TR4), threatens the sustainability of these production systems. In the absence of resistant cultivars and effective control measures, biosecurity remains the primary strategy for prevention. To assess the vulnerability of smallholder Musaceae producers, 230 surveys were conducted in Colombia, Panama, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Nicaragua. Multivariate analyses identified vulnerability typologies based on the degree of implementation of biosecurity measures and the level of control over planting material quality. The territorial distribution of these typologies reflected the influence of institutional arrangements and phytosanitary governance. Based on these patterns, differentiated interventions are recommended according to vulnerability level: minimum exclusion measures and basic infrastructure for highly vulnerable producers; strengthened protocols, record-keeping, and access control for producers with intermediate vulnerability; and continuous surveillance and full traceability of planting material for producers with low vulnerability. This tiered strategy may contribute to reducing the risk of Foc TR4 spread in the region more effectively and in alignment with local capacities.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Gustavo Adolfo Rodríguez-Yzquierdo, Sindy Lorena Mojica-Ramos, Rommel Igor León-Pacheco, Gil Eduardo De Diego-Salas, Francisco Javier Fitoria-Espinoza, David Isaías Ramos-Agüero, Luis Antonio Matos-Casado, Pedro Isaías Terrero-Yépez, Mónica Betancourt-Vásquez
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