A few field trials were undertaken while I was there. This generally meant me sitting cross-legged on the floor with several boxes of exceptionally rotten bananas and measuring the rot. On a couple of harvest days we went out into the field. Banana production in St Lucia is markedly different to that of the central American dollar banana producers. There are 23,000 banana farmers on this island, which is approximately equal in size to the Isle of Wight.
Some farmers have as little as half a acre.
With farmers scattered over this mountainous isle and the infrastructure mediocre, the level of extension is low. This results in a variety of practices. In terms of crown-rot control the wrong fungicide is frequently used, and if the recommended one is used then the concentration is often questionable. Being out on extension exposes the difficult situation the farmer faces. A common reason for the wrong fungicide usage turned out to be the correct fungicide was not available.