Bananas...

I was happy to know we will be doing a lot of studying about how Costa Rica is a huge producer of bananas. There is a history of banana production within much of the Central American Countries and it has become a dominant part of the Costa Rican economy as well. Currently there are many different practices involving the production of bananas.

A particular green banana farm that I have found to be interesting is EARTH University´s who in 1989, acquired lands that included a sprawling banana plantation, but the school's eco-consultants told officials to get rid of the farm. Instead the agricultural school decided to grow a banana that is not as harmful to the environment.

Today EARTH's farm is the oldest working banana plantation in Costa Rica, selling its product exclusively to the eco-friendly Whole Foods Market chain, which has more than 270 stores in the U.S. and the U.K. Banana sales provide 7 percent of the university's revenue, helping to pay tuition for the many students who come from poor backgrounds in developing countries. Green practices at the school are reshaping the global banana industry.

EARTH has started a program to recycle the plastic bags used to keep the bananas protected from insects and animals. Today almost all banana growers in Costa Rica have adopted bag-recycling programs. The Dole Food Company, one of the largest banana producers in the country recycles about 1,900 tons of plastic per year.

The school is now working on producing completely organic bananas in the near future. The only setback is that strong pesticides are necessary to elminate fungi that are hurting the crop significantly. EARTH's organic farmers developed fertilizers that include "effective microorganisms", benign bacteria, yeasts, and fungi that crowd out nematodes and minimize disease. In addition to the environmental consequences, using pesticides and herbicides is detrimental to plantation laborers, suffering from sterility, cancers, and other conditions after years of exposure.

Later on this trip there will be more examples of the steps being taken to create sustainability within this market.