Bananas are one of the main foodstuffs in the city of Butembo. In order to understand the marketing circuit as well as the consumption of bananas at the household level, a study was carried out in the city of Butembo. Its objectives were to understand how the marketing system for cooking bananas and plantains is organized and structured, to identify the problems or difficulties that hinder the marketing of cooking bananas and plantains and to compare the consumption of plantains to that of cooking bananas in households. To achieve these objectives, a survey was conducted among 96 plantain and cooking banana sellers and 100 households were used for the consumption study. At the end of these surveys, the results reveal that the banana marketing circuit is characterized by a multitude of actors playing different functions and having divergent market logics. The majority of these players are retailers (69.07 %) and wholesalers in the consumer market (50.52 %). Processors and wholesalers at the place of production are less represented. The main constraints in the marketing of plantains and cooking bananas are related to losses due to the perishability of bananas, transport problems induced by the advanced state of disrepair of the roads in the supply areas, the lack of customers, the lack of banana conservation structure, price instability and lack of knowledge of the transformation of bananas into other products. This study shows that 100 % of surveyed households consume plantains (Ndizi) against 98 % of households that consume cooking bananas (Bisamunyu). Regarding the consumption of bananas within a household, the study shows that a household with an average household size can consume between 1 and 10 kg of cooking bananas per day and per meal with an average of 3.15±1.78 kg. The interpretation of the third quartile indicates that 75 % of the households surveyed consume a daily quantity of cooking bananas of less than 4 kg per meal. Regarding the consumption of plantains, in a household with an average household size, the daily quantity varies from 1 to 8 kg with an average of 2.39 ± 1.23 kg per meal. Indeed, 75% of surveyed households consume less than 3 kg of plantains per day and per meal.

In the rural commune of Luotu, market gardening is a significant supplement to food and is a source of substantial income that allows some local populations to live decently. It is in this context that this study was carried out with the aim of evaluating the impact of market gardening activities on food security in the rural commune of Luotu, province of North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. The surveys were carried out in two villages (Valya and Lukole) due to 60 market gardeners per village. The results show that market gardening is booming in the study area; the most popular are leeks, cabbage, beans, corn, peas, potatoes, onions, carrots, garlic, amaranths, etc. The choice of one of the vegetable crops is more dictated by food and cultural habits as well as its financial profitability. It was found that men are more involved in this activity and generate more income (127.2 ± 184.9 USD) than women (112.2 ± 169.5 USD). Although this activity is lucrative, it is faced with problems (lack of market gardeners inputs, land tenure insecurity, lack of financing, climate disturbance), does not cover domestic needs for 42.9% of market gardeners surveyed but also of products remains a constraint for distant marketing center sites. These market gardeners, especially the majority (68.3%) have never benefited from technical supervision from agronomists working in local development organizations or associations. In addition, analyzes show that market garden products are sold more in village markets (67.5%) than in city markets (13.3%), along roads (5%) and in the field (14, 2%). The leafy vegetables consumed by market gardeners in the rural town of Luotu are sombe (15.4%), amaranth (18.1%), bitter nightshade (14.5%), headed cabbage (21.2%) %), cauliflower (11.8%), squash leaves (8.1%), bean leaves (8.1%), taro and colocases leaves (2.8%). However, the frequency of daily meal intake is twice a day for 53% of market garden households. Those who eat once and three times a day represent 23 and 23% respectively. Market gardeners in the rural commune of Luotu allocate an average of 6,276.86 ± 2,810.66 Congolese francs to daily consumption in their households.