A State of Controversy

My previous posts have really been more about me having 'fun' than anything, but now I want to talk about some underlying issues in the agricultural industry. I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I boarded that plane about six weeks ago, honestly I was rather naive. In the states, you always hear about the 'gravity' of the situation in Latin America but it’s not until you come and talk to the people that you gain perspective.

Bananas are the one cash crop in Costa Rica, followed by pineapples and then coffee. Since the 1970’s Costa Rica has produce over 1 million tons of bananas. The crop is not native to Costa Rica; it was brought over in the mid-1800s by the Spaniards and later commercialized by an American entrepreneur.


So what does a banana look like? Is it perfectly crescent and brilliantly yellow? When you walk into a supermarket, does where the fruit came from make a difference, or is it all the same? Dole, Chiquita, Del Monte...whatever. I don’t know about my friends in the states, but at least for me, I never thought about where any of my food came from, it all just looks so pretty in the store!

The demand for cosmetically attractive bananas by European and North American markets has turned the commercial banana into an agrochemical machine. Within the growth cycle of the plant (6-8 months), fungicide application can occur between 45-50 times via airplane fly-by chemical sprays. In addition, herbicides are used to keep out unwanted ground vegetation and fertilizers are used to replenish the nutrient stripped soil. American's make such a huge fuss over pesticides that most of them are completely illegal in the states. But who sells the chemicals to our importers...we do! These chemicals have created chronic illnesses, sterility, and even death in agricultural workers. Keep in mind that these workers make less than 5% of the total annual income of these companies.

Locally grown bananas are much smaller, around 4" - 6" in. and almost completely spotted black. The black spots however, don't mean that they are spoiled or rotting or that they will go bad any quicker than the perfectly yellowed variety. The flavor is richer and has become a staple part of my breakfast, along with papaya and lime.

Tomorrow I am going to visit ‘The Costa Rica Institute of Technology’ and see the soil science laboratory. I’m lucky enough to have met a Soil Scientist grad student through only the most amazing community in the world – Ultimate Frisbee. I met Jeff at a pick-up game of Ultimate and he’s invited me to come and check out his research. Jeff is interested in sustainable farming practices, I hope to learn a lot from him and his colleagues.

Friends and family – support your local farming community and buy organic, farmers markets are where it’s at!

Pura Vida

Newsflash: This morning Costa Rica declared a state of emergency due to a deadly landslide in Escazú caused by torrential overnight rains, 20 people have died and 10 are missing. Escazú is about 30 minutes outside of San Jose. Flooding has devastated the region; there is damage to a main bridge and dam as well as major coffee growing areas. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.