“There have been no rains for over a year. My farm cannot produce enough bananas in this drought.”
These were the words of Hector, a smallholder banana farmer in the Dominican Republic. When I first visited his farm in September 2015, he described the challenges that he faced in meeting buyer demands during an ongoing drought. Banana plants are incredibly thirsty, their large leathery leaves drink lots of water. If they do not have enough water to quench their thirst, they produce fewer and smaller bananas. As a result, Hector had to use a water pump to irrigate his land each day. Unable to do this strenuous work by himself, his 31-year old son moved back from the country’s capital to help his father save the farm. And because Hector is a member of the Fairtrade cooperative Banelino, he was able to receive vital support from a local bank to finance a rescue plan for the farm.
In 2016 the rains came – with a vengeance. When I went back to the Dominican Republic two months ago, the farmers were no longer facing drought but were having to contend with the worst flooding they had experienced in nine years. Entire farms were almost knee-deep in water. Floods can kill the plants quickly and if the water is not drained within three days, the plant and crop will be lost.
The Dominican Banana Association initially reported that 5,500ha of plantations had been damaged by the flooding and was estimating losses of $45.5m (£36.1m). Since then it has continued to rain, making this figure higher. Once the farms have been drained and the dead plants have been cut down and cleared, farmers then have to be alert for signs of black sigatoka, a devastating fungus which flourishes in damp conditions and can destroy banana farms. This disease is particularly threatening for smallholder farmers. Because many are committed to organic production methods they cannot spray fungicides to control the disease.
While international powers continue to theorise about the merits of investing in climate change, farmers are on the frontline, dealing with its all too real impact. Dominican banana farmers are now facing the double blow of reduced incomes while at the same time needing to find funds to rebuild their farms. This means making tough decisions at home and money for food, clothing and children’s education could all be cut back.
Farmers are not the only ones to suffer. Thousands of banana workers were unable to work when the farms were flooded and many were not paid for the days that were missed. A local trade union is estimating that there are workers who will be without employment for months to come.
60% of the bananas exported from the Dominican Republic end up in fruit bowls and lunch boxes in the UK. Yet most of us are unaware of the trials facing Britain’s favourite fruit. Despite these huge setbacks, Dominican producers must still adhere to the stringent quality requirements of UK supermarkets, many of which are frustrating for producers. One plantation manager told me: “The UK pays the lowest prices for bananas but demands the most in quality. You have to tell UK consumers that bananas are not manufactured in a factory. It takes the same amount of hard work to grow and harvest a slightly blemished banana as it does one that is aesthetically perfect, but the UK will only accept the perfect one.”
Indeed, no other European country sells bananas so cheaply and yet UK supermarkets (except the Co-op) are still engaged in an ongoing price-war which sees them selling half of their bananas below cost. No supermarket wants to be the first to break this deadlock for fear of losing customers. They are now trapped in a situation where they lose money on banana sales, traders have their margins squeezed each year and farmers and workers cannot escape poverty.
Farmers will only be able to adapt to climate change if they have the means to invest in their farms; irrigation for times of drought and water pumps for when it floods, insurance payments for when crops are lost and savings to provide for their families when their income fails. Farmers can only make these changes if they are paid a fair price.
Fairtrade Fortnight 2017 will be highlighting the issues affecting producers during its annual campaign which runs from 27 February until 12 March. This year the campaign’s message is, “Don’t feed exploitation. Put Fairtrade in your break.” For more information about the campaign and how to get involved, click here.
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