Banana (musa Paradisiaca)

Monocultures
Jen Miller-Stratton

What is a Banana Plant?

Tropical fruit producing
high herb.
1000 varieties
classified in 50
different groups.
Cavendish variety
is the most popular.
Tribe, Neon. "Banana Link." All about Bananas. 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 13
Nov. 2014. <http://www.bananalink.org.uk/all-about-bananas>.

Brief History
The docks of the United Fruit company in Honduras, 1954.(AP Photo)

Originally from
India

Mass produced
in the 1880s.

"Bananas." A Brief History of /. Pacific Lutheran University, 1 May 2007.

Web. 13 Nov. 2014. <http://community.plu.edu/~bananas/briefhistory/home.html>.
Delphia, Nick. "Going Bananas: The Banana Industry: Going Bananas: The Banana Industry's
Economic, Social, and Environmental Consequences. 5 May 2004. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
<http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/fieldcourses04/PapersCostaRicaArticles/GoingBananas.theb
ananaind.html>.

Mass
production for
profit resulting
in a monocrop

The Effects of Bananas as a

Monocrop

Environmental Consequences of
Banana Monocultures

1. Depletion of
nutrient rich soil

"Bananas." Environmental Impacts of Banana Growing /. Pacific Lutheran

University, 1 May 2007. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
<http://community.plu.edu/~bananas/environmental/home.html>.

Environmental Consequences of
Banana Monocultures

2. Deforestation

"Bananas." Environmental Impacts of Banana Growing /. Pacific

Lutheran University, 1 May 2007. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
<http://community.plu.edu/~bananas/environmental/home.html>.

Environmental Consequences of
Banana Monocultures

3. No genetic
diversity= no
immunity to
diseases

Kinlaw, Claire. "Banana: Cautionary Tale of the Risk Inherent in Crop Monoculture." Agriculture 20. 18 Mar. 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
<http://ag2point0.com/2014/03/18/banana-cautionary-tale-of-the-risk-inherent-in-crop-monoculture/>.

Environmental Consequences of
Banana Monocultures

4. An endless cycle
of more
deforestation due
to avoidance of
disease

Environmental Consequences of
Banana Monocultures

5. Fungicides and insecticides

Environmental Consequences of
Banana Monocultures

6. Contaminated water tables

Environmental Consequences of
Banana Monocultures

7. Destruction of coral reefs

Environmental Consequences of
Banana Monocultures

8. Endangering animals

Social impacts of banana

plantations

Social impacts of banana

plantations
1. Cheap labor

"Bananas." What Can You Do? Pacific Lutheran University, 1 May 2007. Web.
13 Nov. 2014. <http://community.plu.edu/~bananas/why-

Social impacts of banana

plantations

2. Chemical exposure

"Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9027515>.

Social impacts of banana

plantations

3. Violence
hreatening change

"Bananas." What Can You Do? Pacific Lutheran University, 1 May 2007. Web.
13 Nov. 2014. <http://community.plu.edu/~bananas/why-

What can we
do?

What we can do
1. Eat local and organic
2. Eat blemished
bananas
3. Voice opinions to
government and
shareholders
Foster, Joahanna. "Banana Emergency Strikes Costa Rica." ThinkProgress RSS.
12 Dec. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
<http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/12/12/3056421/costa-rica-banana-

Works Cited
Tribe, Neon. "Banana Link." All about Bananas. 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 13
Nov. 2014. <http://www.bananalink.org.uk/all-about-bananas>.
"Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1
Jan. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9027515>.

"Bananas." A Brief History of /. Pacific Lutheran University, 1 May 2007. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
<http://community.plu.edu/~bananas/brief-history/home.html>.
Delphia, Nick. "Going Bananas: The Banana Industry: Going Bananas: The Banana Industry's Economic,
Social, and Environmental Consequences. 5 May 2004. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
<http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/fieldcourses04/PapersCostaRicaArticles/GoingBananas.thebananaind.ht
ml>.

"Bananas." Environmental Impacts of Banana Growing /. Pacific Lutheran University, 1 May

2007. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
<http://community.plu.edu/~bananas/environmental/home.html>.

Kinlaw, Claire. "Banana: Cautionary Tale of the Risk Inherent in Crop Monoculture."
Agriculture 20. 18 Mar. 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. <http://ag2point0.com/2014/03/18/bananacautionary-tale-of-the-risk-inherent-in-crop-monoculture/>.

Foster, Joahanna. "Banana Emergency Strikes Costa Rica." ThinkProgress RSS. 12

Dec. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
<http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/12/12/3056421/costa-rica-bananaemergency/>.
"Bananas." What Can You Do? Pacific Lutheran University, 1 May 2007. Web.
13 Nov. 2014. <http://community.plu.edu/~bananas/why-