This study provides an overview of banana and plantain in West Africa. West Africa is one of the major plantain-producing regions of the world, accounting for about 32% of worldwide production. The major plantain-producing countries in the region include Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, and Guinea. Banana is also cultivated in West Africa but account for only 2.3% of worldwide production. The major banana-producing countries in the region include Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, and Liberia. Banana and plantain have become major food and cash crops in the region. Since the last decade, plantain yields in West Africa have experienced slight increases, with the largest production of 3.7 million metric tons in Ghana, contributing about 13.1% to the agricultural Gross Domestic Product. Cote d'lvoire ranks the highest producer of bananas with about 320,000 metric tons in West Africa. Although plantain production in West Africa is much higher than banana production, banana is presently of greater importance in terms of world trade. Whereas plantain marketing is characterized by small-scale, widely dispersed producers, banana production is generally more centralized, involving larger production firms and a more structured marketing and transportation system. In West Africa, the sustained production of banana and plantain is endangered by several yield constraining factors including pests and diseases, low technology adoption and environmental factors especially under smallholder management. However, there is room for progress in obtaining bigger yield of these crops. Banana and plantain production enterprises in West Africa have great prospects in the area of employment generation, contributions to national income and gross domestic product, poverty alleviation, economic and industrial growth and rural development. Recommendations are drawn for the provision of market information outfits to disseminate information timely to banana and plantain marketers, price stability, and the need for intensive research on the growth requirements for the sustained production of the crops.

The poor plantain output problem in Anambra centers on the efficiency with which farmers use resources on their plantain farm. It also borders on how the various factors that affect plantain production can be examined, so as to improve plantain production in the country. The inefficiency problem is attributed to factors such as use of low input technologies, lack of knowledge of high input technologies, amongst others. The study therefore examined farmers' productivity of improved plantain technologies in Anambra State, Nigeria. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, productivity indices, multiple regression and gross margin analysis. Analysis of productivity indices based on resource use efficiency shows that the farmers are highly efficient in the use of planting materials and labor. The results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that farmers' age, farm size, household size, educational status, planting materials, extension contact and labor are the main determinants of plantain productivity in the state. Gross margin per hectare of plantain averaged N988750 while net farm income averaged N980250. Rate of returns on capital invested is N2.3 implying that plantain production is a profitable and viable venture. The study therefore recommends the organization of field days and farmers' training on the use of high yielding planting materials. Procurement and distribution of improved varieties to farmers by Anambra State Agricultural Development Programme at the right time and at affordable prices are effective strategies for stimulating plantain productivity in the area.

Urban agriculture (UA) is promoted as a viable strategy to support the food demands of the increasing urban population in the global south. However, UA faces severe constraints that could undermine this potential. To sustain urban food production, there is a research need to identify the main factors deterring UA activities. This study, therefore, aims to examine the constraints faced by urban farmers in carrying out their UA production activities. Two hundred and eighty urban farmers selected through a multi-stage sampling technique were used for the study. Data were collected using a questionnaire/interview schedule and analysed using descriptive statistics and principal component analysis (PCA). The study shows that the urban farmers were engaged in four main types of agro-enterprises. They include crop production, livestock production, agro-processing, and the supply of farming inputs. The majority of the UA farmers indicated that they were into maize production (75%), poultry production (60%), and 25% were into fish farming. The PCA result suggests three key constraints to UA, namely infrastructural constraints, socio-economic/environmental constraints, and institutional constraints. For UA in southeast Nigeria to reach its full potential, the study recommends proactive policy responses in support of UA. Also required is infrastructural support in terms of good road networks and marketing facilities to best support UA activities.

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