I read an interesting op-ed column about food and energy yesterday. It was written by Dan Koeppel in the NYT and is entitled:"Yes, We Will Have No Bananas." It brings up lots of interesting issues. What is really interesting is how cheap oil has distorted our world view, mine included. I used to buy a lot of bananas -I won't anymore now that I have read this. For some reason it never occurred to me that bananas are way too cheap. And despite the term "banana republic" (not the clothing brand) I always ignored the role of our military in providing us with artificially cheap food. Talk about national security.
Here are the key points, which I will list but you really ought to read the Koeppel story because he has a wonderful way of explaining it.
1. Bananas are produced thousands of miles away. They are a locavore's nightmare. Refrigerated food that is shipped in half way across the planet.
2. Bananas are perishable. They do not keep well and need to be refrigerated.
3. Bananas don't have seeds (they are sterile) and they are a mono-culture. A mono-culture that has been struck with devastation before and it is only a matter of time before it will happen again.
4. Banana culture leads to rainforest devastation.
5. The bananas we eat look good but they are an inferior-tasting variety. Out of the 1,000 or so varieties that exist, producers chose the one that is hardy, looks good, but has inferior taste.
6. Foreign policy plays a key role in keeping bananas cheap by supporting exploitation of workers.
7. Our military backs up that foreign policy agenda, beating up revolting workers if necessary to ensure cheap prices.
8. All that results in bananas being cheaper than apples, a local fruit that is hardy, keeps well, and needs no refrigeration.
9. Bananas are one of the most popular fruits in the US.
10. Not part of the article, but interesting nonetheless, bananas are little more than sugar-rich fruit. In many countries their calorie-rich, low nutrition value leads to malnutrition.
So now you know. Next time you see the yellow fruit beckon at 59c a pound, please abstain. You will be doing the environment a favor. You will also be saving oil and reducing greenhouse gases.
3 comments:
Re: #10 - Bananas are a very good source of vitamin B6 and a good source of vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber, and manganese. However, while delicious, I would not recommend attempting to completely sustain oneself on them.
Tragedy of the Commons
No question bananas have their merits. I used to always carry one while cycling.
Thank you for the comment on m blog! It is always good to interact with people with different opinions than mine! :) I would have agreed with everything you said a few years ago, but fortunately for me I have experienced energy in different ways (even if in the end it is all energy), like in reiki, for example. And it feels great! :)
On the microorganisms, I don't worry too much about that - like all other species, in fact, except for humans! :) Not that we have to go back and live as cave people, but some things would be interesting... :)
As for the bananas, you could try organic, fair trade ones from a trustworthy source (they visibly deteriorate faster!), although they would still come from far off. I love bananas and am fortunate to have a tree right in my front yard in my home in Brazil! :)
Cheers,
Andrea
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