La biodiversity, which ensures the presence of plants with different characteristics and shelter for millions of animal species, is the basis of food safety and is closely connected to the good health of all types of ecosystems on earth, as it is a carrier of genetic diversity within species, in turn fundamental in this regard, since the variety of species determines the ability to survive extreme climate events, attacks by new parasites and the resilience of the crops used to feed all the peoples of the planet.
In the current situation the maximum biodiversity is found in the band between the two tropics where the large remaining primary forests are located. The least wealthy countries in the world are also concentrated there, with economies often based on family farming that feeds millions of people in the communities of native peoples, who have always followed natural cycles, protected the environment and have preserved nature to the detriment of their own wealth. On the contrary, in the temperate zones with the most favorable climate for human settlements, the richest economies are concentrated, which however have obtained their wealth from the establishment of large cities with highly impactful industries and infrastructures, to the detriment of local natural ecosystems that are often completely erased.
From here came the awareness, now globally widespread and also supported by the FAO, that only the biodiversity, with the protection of all natural ecosystems, can ensure adequate nutrition to all the peoples of the earth and eradicate hunger in the world. Biodiversity represents a tool for environmental and social resilience with important implications for the rural economy of the territories and the protection of the agricultural landscape. Behind the term biodiversity there is a very dense network of living organisms hidden within, sometimes very small and almost invisible, but which, in balance with each other, manage to construct life paths of inestimable importance.
Bananas and Biodiversity
During the last Banana Forum, producers and agronomists discussed the future of banana trade, coming to the conclusion that the banana market is exposed to great risks as a result of the presence on the world market of only one variety of bananas, despite the existence of several hundred. In the world we all eat the same banana. An absurdity!
The variety currently the most cultivated is the Cavendish, which produces relatively long fruits with compact pulp until the last stages of ripening, when it becomes very soft and sweeter. The Cavendish is a ibrido made to obtain fruits with sufficient quantities of pulp but which has the drawback of reproduction by propagation, i.e. clones of the starting plant. This exposes the Cavendish to diseases and parasites with the classic and dramatic consequences of monocultures.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, the variety of banana used for exports was the Gros michel, suitable for transport on long journeys, but after the war, in a few years, a fungus attacked the plants which, being all only Gros Michel, were decimated because they had no defenses against infections (Panama Disease). All the main plantations in Central and South America were decimated. It was then cultivation introduced of the Cavendish variety, resistant to the fungus.
Ma the greed of the producers ensured that no changes were introduced to the monoculture to avoid repeating the mistakes already made and today we are starting to see increasingly frequent reports of exposure of the Cavendish monoculture to a fungus that does not allow the plants to survive, in addition to exposure to other risks (Black Sigatoka,) always linked to the same cause: the lack of biodiversity.
Cavendish and cultural diffusion
The Cavendish banana is the most cultivated and consumed banana variety in the world but it must be transported with great care and often requires refrigeration to slow down its ripening. Its production mainly takes place in tropical climates, with the major producers located in countries such as Ecuador, the Philippines, Colombia, Costa Rica and India. The harvest takes place when the fruits are still green, to allow them to ripen during transport.
Diversify production could have great benefits in reducing the risks associated with growing a single variety, but producers for logistical reasons and consumers for taste perception do not intend to change the production logic. Each fruit has almost the same same flavor, the same appearance and the same ripening times. The latter are essential for exporters, who need to deliver billions of bananas still unripe and then let them ripen in the retail distribution phases.
La Cavendish banana monoculture therefore presents various risks, especially for environmental sustainability and food safety, represented by:
- vulnerability to diseases resulting from warmer and more humid climates which favor the proliferation of some viruses and parasites,
- intensive use of pesticides and fungicides increasingly necessary in relation to vulnerability, with evident damage to the environment and demonstrated risks for workers
- soil exhaustion resulting from intensive cultivation
- worsening conditions for workers, especially women. Although great progress has been made in eradicating child labor, it remains a scourge, especially in small-scale production, where rural poverty is endemic. Child workers still represent a source of income for poor families and a low-cost labor force for small producers, crushed by high production costs.
Climate change
The reduction in productivity as a result of the climate change with an increase in temperatures to which the banana is particularly sensitive, also because higher temperatures reduce the quality of the fruit and require more water.
In order to find a solution it would be essential to reach a Crop diversification, introducing new varieties of more resistant bananas but above all using sustainable agricultural practices. Local and traditional bananas could be grown for local markets and mixed cultivation with other plants to improve soil health and reduce pesticides.
Although it has been discussed for years, at the moment there does not seem to be any great workable solutions. As a countermeasure to limit the damage, some research groups are working on the development of genetically modified plants to be resistant to TR4. However, not all countries allow the trade of genetically modified organisms, so for now producers are reluctant to introduce GMO fruits as well as to use new DNA modification techniques, such as Crispr, which allow to change part of the genetic material of an organism without introducing new material from other organisms.
consumption
Il banana consumption in the European Union has seen significant growth in recent years. From 2012 to 2021, the total supply of bananas, including both domestic production and imports, increased by 37%, reaching 5,8 million tonnes in 2021, making the EU one of the world's leading markets for this fruit. The EU banana market is in expansion, with growing demand being met by both domestic production and imports.
Banana is a highly perishable product and this makes storage difficult. The market is in the hands of a few large producers who manage the entire supply chain and who actually determine the success of the varieties in circulation, being very fond of the Cavendish, the most requested by their customers. The European Union is the main importer of bananas and it is estimated that in 2023 it imported about 5 million tons, equal to 27 percent of total imports followed by the United States (22 percent) and China (10 percent).
Consumers – co-producers
also the consumer choices promote change. All of us we play a leading role when we buy bananas from the greengrocer, at the market, at the supermarket or online. If today the production and trade of these fruits are a little more "ethical" and sustainable, it is also thanks to the strong pressure from public opinion against the scandalous working conditions on the plantations, but also to the greater consumer awareness towards ethical aspects.
One of the reference principles for Slow Food is to be co-producers, that is, always being aware of the origins of the food we eat, what the characteristics are behind its supply chain, in particular with regard to the justice inherent in production. The banana is therefore not only a fruit that is easy to enjoy but a piece of a story which summarizes the meaning of biodiversity today and the commitment to protecting producers.
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Henry Rocked He was a health manager and deals with food and sustainable nutrition. He was President of the Empolese-Valdelsa branch of Slow Food
