The aim of the meeting was to promote collaboration among diverse actors who share a common goal - to increase environmental and social sustainability in the export banana industry. This vital first step towards collaboration also marked a breakthrough for many of the experts present. In terms of gross value of production, bananas are the world's fourth most important food crop, after rice, wheat and maize.
Bananas are both a staple food and an export commodity.
Latin American and Caribbean countries produce the bulk of internationally traded bananas - about 10 million tonnes out of the global total of 12 million tonnes. Hundreds of thousands of people in rural areas are directly employed by the banana industry in the region, and those people in turn support other industries and workers who gain indirectly from the banana industry. Concerns about environmental impact of banana farms About 80 percent of export banana production takes place on large plantations using intensive farming methods that rely heavily on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Over the last decade, consumers have become increasingly aware of and concerned about the environmental damage caused by such intensive agriculture and the agrochemicals that it depends on. At the same time, other pressure groups have spotlighted the poor working conditions on many of the world's banana plantations.