Blame it on ethylene gas, a natural plant hormone that bananas produce in abundance. This gas speeds up ripening, which is ...

ICOSEED Managing Director Patrick Muriuki (right) and programme manager Alexander Gichovi display some of the products they manufacture from banana stems fibre at their office in Kutus town.

[and] wrap the top [of the] stem in plastic wrap.” It may seem strange, but wrapping up banana stems prevents them from releasing too much ethylene gas into the air and affecting the rest of ...

Unknown to farmers, the stem can be recycled to make other biodegradable ... Ronald Katwaza, a researcher, through the National Banana Programme, under NaRL. A new brand of hair extension is ...

Ekberg Satoko started a business making Fair Trade verified paper from banana stems in Zambia, which is helping support farmers and create jobs. She talks about her approach to reducing poverty.

[AP Photo] But local startup TEXFAD, which describes itself as a waste management group, is now taking advantage of this abundance of rotting stems to extract banana fiber that's turned into items ...