A new documentary that premiered last night, Bananas!* tells the story of twelve Nicaraguan banana plantation workers and their case against the Dole corporation, for using a harmful pesticide. Dole are currently trying to block the film’s release, and are attempting to sue the director. All the more reason to see it, and hence it’s our next sidebar ad.
One third of the production cost of a banana is pesticides. It’s a vulnerable species, and needs a lot of chemical inputs to cultivate on a large scale. Unfortunately those chemicals can cause all kinds of health problems, including sterility, and pollute the land, air and water in the regions where they are grown.
The film follows a lawyer, Juan ‘accidentes’ Dominguez, who speaks for 10,000 workers affected by pesticides. It’s a landmark case, and if Dole are found guilty it could set a precedent for American companies being charged for abuses perpetrated in other territories.
The film isn’t showing in many places, but it sounds important. Keep an eye out for it at an independent cinema near you.
The Earthbound Report 
I’ve got many banana trees growing on my land. We use no chemicals. All the surrounding farmers use no chemicals. The trees produce lots of bananas, and they are great and taste great.
The only reason to use those chemicals is greed and a desire for excessive amounts of money whilst having concern for the workers, the local people, their families, the land, the water, the soil, …
Yes, we used to grow bananas in Madagascar and never needed any chemicals. As you say, it’s only when you attempt to grow them on an industrial scale that it goes wrong.