Smallholder growers in the Philippines and Uganda can now recognise virus infections in their banana plants. Simply spotting viruses early and pulling out the infected plants, then making sure new plants are healthy, helps double yields. The banana bunchy top and banana streak viruses devastate banana crops across South Asia and the Pacific. Now they are spreading in southern Africa. No varieties resistant to either virus have been found and, because chemicals don’t work against viruses, prevention is the best option. Growers in Davao-Mindanao, in the Philippines, and in Rakai, Masaka and Ntungamo, Uganda, found that just by removing infected plants they reduce damage and prevent spread of the viruses. They also now make sure that they plant healthy plantlets, produced by low-cost tissue culture.