The banana, the world’s most popular fruit as well as the fourth most important food crop, could suffer a heavy toll due to climate change, a report by Christian Aid has warned.
Bananas are the world’s most consumed fruit. In fact, more than 400 million people rely on them for 15 to 27 per cent of their daily calories.
However, most exported bananas belong to a single variety, the Cavendish. But this lack of genetic variation makes the crop vulnerable.
The report noted that by 2080, Latin America would especially be affected by climate change, causing a 60 per cent reduction in the area suitable for export banana production.
“By 2050, countries like India and Brazil are expected to see declining yield due to climate change with key exporters like Colombia and Costa Rica also being affected,” the document noted.
Alongside growing conditions, climate change would also contribute to the spread of fungal diseases in bananas.
“Black Leaf Fungus can reduce the ability of banana plants to photosynthesize by 80% and thrives in wet conditions making bananas at risk from erratic rainfall and flooding. Another fungal affliction, Panama disease, or Fusarium Tropical Race 4 as it is known, has been found around the world in recent years and is spread through the soil. Once infection of the soil has occurred, then Cavendish bananas can no longer be grown there,” according to the report.
The report by Christian Aid quoted a banana grower from Guatemala. According to Aurelia, “The banana crops are dying off. The trees are folding down and dying. In the past there was a prediction that this would happen in the future, but it has come earlier, and this is because we are not taking care of our motherland, our ecosystems, and this is very worrying for our kids and especially for our grandkids. What is uncertain, is perhaps this situation is going to worsen in the future and we lose this whole plantation. This is going to be a huge issue for me.”
To protect the livelihoods of banana growers, most of whom have done nothing to cause the climate crisis, the report urged governments to reduce emissions driving the threat to bananas.
It also called for rich countries, whose current and historic emissions are driving the climate crisis, to commit to paying their fair share of climate finance to developing countries to help them adapt to these changed conditions.