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Early evidence is showing that the banana trees are resilient in drought conditions

Dufatanye's staff made a field visit to Nyabisindu to check in on the villagers and the banana trees that were planted.

They conducted a small-scale experiment to see how resilient banana trees would be in drought conditions with a sample size of 16 families. 5 families had only one surviving plant, 6 families had two surviving plants and the remaining 5 families had 3 surviving plants.

Children using shovels and hoes to dig soil in an outdoor area near a brick building and large water tank.
The experiment has confirmed their hypothesis that it is possible to plant banana trees in the dry season. Next will be to figure out an optimal approach to watering the trees so they survive. Mulching and drip irrigation seem to be the most effective so far - the surviving trees have all been mulched consistently.
Young banana plant growing in dry, sandy soil surrounded by weeds and dried organic debris in an outdoor garden setting.
We are working with Dufatanye to figure out sustainable water solutions to ensure the villagers can plant all year round with minimal crop losses.

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