From innovation to the adoption of new practices in the banana sector

In Guadeloupe and Martinique, banana production faces the challenge of better balancing economic and environmental performance. Whilst various agro-ecological innovations are currently being developed, we have assessed a range of innovations and the conditions for their adoption on different types of farms. Field surveys and simulations carried out show that small family-run lowland farms should move towards introducing pineapple cultivation or the forage grass Brachiaria decumbens. However, certain barriers linked to small land areas, coupled with cash flow constraints, may limit adoption. To overcome these constraints, we propose the introduction of economic support schemes for conversion. Generally speaking, the innovative systems studied lead to the substitution of labour for pesticides. In the case of mixed cropping, this substitution generally comes at the expense of farmers’ income. In mountainous areas, practices such as spontaneous fallow and the introduction of intercrops like Canavalia ensiformis or Impatiens sp. appear to be the most suitable. For large-scale farms, where economic and environmental performance is already relatively high, the cropping system based on Brachiaria decumbens appears to be the most promising.