No, we’re not bananas when we tell you that the phallic fruit could be the next climate victim
Yes, we will have no bananas, as the 1923 ditty (sort of) goes. Or at least there will be fewer of them and they will get more expensive.
That’s the message from industry leaders and academics — who knew there we banana academics? — gathered in Rome for the fourth global conference of the World Banana Forum.
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And they’re very worried.
As temperatures increase beyond optimal levels for banana growth, there’s a heightened risk of low yields, Dan Bebber, a professor of sustainable agriculture and England’s University of Exeter, told CBS News. “Producers like Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica will see a negative impact of rising temperatures over the next few decades,” he added.
In addition, climate change is also helping diseases that threaten banana trees spread more easily, in particular something called the TR4 fungus, which has been described by the forum as one of the “most aggressive and destructive fungi in the history of agriculture.”
“Once a plantation has been infected, it cannot be eradicated. There is no pesticide or fungicide that is effective,” Sabine Altendorf, an economist focused on global value chains for agricultural products at the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told the outlet.
The potential fruit failure has led to some to call for higher banana prices to enable farmers to adapt. “Higher prices will actually not make a big difference at the consumer end,” Altendorf added, “but will make a large difference along the value chain and enable a lot more environmental sustainability.”
Meanwhile, the Banana Forum has its own plea: “Bananas are the world’s most exported fresh fruit (US$10bn/year),” said a statement on its website. “They are an essential source of income for thousands of rural households in developing countries,” adding that declining producer prices and many environmental and social challenges,“ can only be properly addressed if all the stakeholders actively collaborate.”
Call it a banana appeal.
