Killer Bananas: The Environmental Impact of Banana Plantations
It is not a secret that current practices of banana farming in many areas of the world are contributing to the destruction of tropical rainforests- one of the most diverse ecosystems on our planet. 75% of the earth’s biodiversity lives in these forests, and because the majority of bananas are grown in monoculture plantations (plantations in which they are the only type of vegetation), as well as areas of cleared rainforest, they are playing a big part in the tragic loss of biodiversity we are seeing today.1 We, as American consumers are not making matters any better as we eat, on average, twenty-eight pounds of bananas per person per year.2 This inexpensive fruit is the fifth largest agricultural commodity in world trade, and for people in areas of Central, East, and West Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, it constitutes a large portion of their diet.3
Monoculture
A major problem associated with growing any crop in
a monoculture is that once the land has been devoted to agriculture for
a single species, soil fertility diminishes greatly. In the case
of bananas, the former rainforest soil in which they are originally
planted is particularly rich in nutrients. Deforestation,
however, has resulted in the loss of a great amount of productive land,
due to the fact that once protective forest cover is depleted, overall
soil quality greatly declines.4 Banana producers are forced
to continually expand their fields to make up for the diminished
production per hectare, and the cycle of destruction begins
again. Monoculture plantations pose another problem in the sense
that they keep the plants from developing immunity to many devastating
diseases that occur in nature. Within the past few decades,
certain viruses, pests, and fungi, have spread in epidemic proportions,
and have begun to attack the world’s top selling commercial breed-the
Cavendish.5 This susceptibility has, in turn, resulted in a
crop heavily dependent on agrochemicals for its survival, and a
widespread strategy for banana farmers- kill all invasive and
threatening species with toxic pesticides. . . lots of them.Pesticides
On many banana plantations, fungicides and insecticides are applied as
many as forty times a year, amounting to a total use of nearly 44
kilograms per hectare.6 Not only do these chemicals cause
cancer and mutations in humans, making them extremely harmful to the
workers on plantations, but they are also devastating to the
surrounding environment. After seeping into the water table, the
toxic substances find their way into local aquatic systems, making the
water an unsuitable habitat for many types of wildlife. Sediments
from overused land and agrochemical runoff are contributing to coral
reef deterioration off the coasts of Costa Rica. Tortoises and
manatees are facing extinction partly due to the fact that pesticide
runoff kills the algae on which they feed.7 The combination
of chemical usage, deforestation, and mono-crop plantations has led to
soil so depleted of nutrients and saturated with agrochemicals that it
is impossible for any type of vegetation to survive in it. If
some solution is not found, banana plantations will continue to
contribute greatly to degradation of fertile land and loss of
biodiversity. What is Being Done?
As awareness is being raised about the huge negative
environmental impacts of mono-crop banana plantations, an increasing
number of exporters are choosing to harvest more environmentally
friendly fruit by limiting chemical usage on their plants. In
1991, Chiquita Brands International began its “Better Banana Project,”
requiring banana producers to maintain certain standards and
environmental practices such as reduced pesticide usage and soil
conservation.8 Many other smaller corporations and
independent farmers have chosen the “organic” path, cutting out
synthetic agrochemical usage altogether. This is not an easy task
because of the high risk of diseased fruit. Organic farmers have
found effective solutions to this problem, however, including
developing plantations in drier areas where deadly fungi are less
prevalent, and also incorporating other plants to provide shade.
This “polyculture” method of farming creates wind barriers for the
banana plants, and botanical pesticides such as lemon grass and tobacco
are often incorporated in the fields to protect the crop from a variety
of pests naturally. Crop rotation every few years replenishes the
soil, and proves to be very beneficial in keeping pests and diseases
from developing resistance to the natural pesticides.9 1Worobetz, Kendra. “Loss of Biodiversity is a Critical Issue.” Department of Biological Sciences. University of Alberta: April 14, 2000.
2Fairclough, Gordon; McDermott, Darren. “Fruit of Labor: The Banana Business Is Rotten, So Why Do People Fight Over It?” Wall Street Journal; New York, N.Y.: Aug. 9, 1999.
3UNITED Nations. Food and Agricultural Organization. “Going Bananas.” Economist; 10/22/2005, vol. 377 Issue 8443, pg. 85-85.
4Morton, J. 1987. Banana. In: Fruits of Warm Climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, FL. 1987 (http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/banana.html).
5Mlot, Christine. “Greening the World’s Most Popular Fruit.” National Wildlife, Feb/Mar2004, Vol. 42 Issue 2, p18-19.
6Ibid.
7Blythman, Joanna. “Bent Bananas.” Ecologist; May2005, Vol. 35 Issue 4, p44-49.
8Mlot, Christine. “Greening the World’s Most Popular Fruit.” National Wildlife, Feb/Mar2004, Vol. 42 Issue 2, p18-19.
9Yamileth, Astorga. “The Environmental Impact of the Banana Industry.” http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:8pYZP3bM_M0J:www.bananalink.org.uk/docume
nts/Current_Environmental_Impact_by_Y_Astorga.doc+The+Environmental+Impact+of+the
+Banana+Industry&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us.