Garrett Sutherland

The Bad Side of Bananas

I. GlobalizationA. Globally Grown

1. 107 countries produces bananas today

2. The largest is India though most of the bananas that they produce are consumed domestically and not exported. When most think of bananas they think of central and south America where they are the largest exporters of ba-nanas, and where America gets most of its bananas today.

3. Bananas are the largest fruit when it comes to trade.

B. Globally Enjoyed

1. Despite having to grow in tropical like conditions the ba-nana is so popular that is the worlds third favorite fruit be-hind only apples and oranges. Some place the banana at the 2nd most popular but this will have to be looked into.

2. 145 million metric tonnes of bananas are produced yearly

3. With the same calories as one potato and many varieties bananas are staple to many developing countries across the globe.

II. Oppression/ManipulationA. Banana Republics

1. Chiquita fined 25 million for hiring terrorist organizations responsible for massacres and running drugs

2. Controlling and running the politics of entire countries. An abusive imperialism that bases decisions on profit not peo-ple

B. India

1. Living costs have more than double in the past decade while the banana workers’ wage has decreased.

2. Most workers do not make enough money to provide for their families needs.

III. Environmental (The following is done for India, and then the banana republics)

A. Monoculture

1. With the demand for limited species the diversity is falling while their use to be many more varieties varying from purple to plantain the diversity is going.

B. Deforesting

1. Forest clearing is common to implement large banana plan-tations which hurts the native wild life as well as other species.

C. Pesticides & Fertilizer

1. To increase the banana yield pesticides and fertilizer are implemented which ruin local water ways. This they hurts the local people, children and animal.

IV. ConclusionA. Thoughts

1. We all enjoy our cavendish bananas with ease in the morn-ing, but we don’t always know the story behind how that banana got in the kitchen. The countless suppressed work-ers, the strain on the environment or the human toll.