Go Bananas

To produce bananas, numerous chemicals are used in banana production to enhance the success of these crops. The demands of North American and European consumers for a cosmetically attractive banana use agrochemicals. Fungicides are used to kill off fungal diseases and pests, fertilizers to accommodate for declining soil quality and availability and herbicides to keep the ground free from vegetation.

Large chemical use has negative impacts on the environment. The amount of pesticides used in agriculture in Central America is ten times the amount used in industrial countries. Many chemicals used on banana plantations have been prohibited in the United States, the major manufacturer and exporter of these chemicals. Soils on banana plantations have been contaminated by intense chemical use; the land of many abandoned plantations has been so contaminated which makes future agricultural use impossible. Also, heavy rains wash the chemicals into rivers and streams massive fish kills are a result.

Although banana producing countries are largely economically dependent on these exports, the local populations do not acquire the major benefits of production. Workers are often immigrants from Nicaragua that work long, difficult hours for minimal pay and generally no benefits. Additionally, workers are often denied the right to organize as unions.

The banana industry provides much needed revenue and employment to Central American economies such as Costa Rica. However, these benefits are cancelled out by the effects to the environment and plantation workers. The demands of developed countries for perfect and inexpensive fruit contribute to the unsustainable production methods (i.e. excessive agrochemical use and deforestation).

There are movements that promote a more sustainable, fair commodity. The push for a more sustainable, fair trade banana must come from consumers willing to purchase these types of bananas. The Costa Rican Ambio Foundation and the Rainforest Alliance started the ÒEco-okÓ program. This program encourages growers to use growing practices that are better for humans and the environment. Chiquita is the first major banana producer to support the Òeco-okÓ certification program. The program involves installing solid waste traps in packaging facilities in order to diminish river contamination, monitoring water quality, rebuilding warehouses to store chemicals safely and composting organic waste.