A brief look at the environmental impacts of agriculture and specifically, banana production in Costa Rica.

1. AGRICULTURE
Current World Issues
By: Cheryl Gregory
& Lindsay Perry

2. Agricultural Problems
• Production to Population Ratio
• Trade: Feast vs. Famine
• Water Contamination
• Soil Degradation
• Plant & Animal Disease
• Native Biomass
Destruction

3. Current Problematic Practices
• Mono-cropping
• Chemical Farming
• Poor Trade Regulations
• Poor Land Management
• Use of Non-Native
Species

4. Mono-Cropping
Def: Use of a single species over a large
land area without rotation
BENEFITS COSTS
1. Increased Yield 1. Decreased Biodiversity (Within
2. Specialization of Labor & crop DNA and Outside of Crop
Industrial Technology population)
3. Surplus for Trade 2. Increased Susceptibility to Pests
& Pathogens
3. Soil Nutrient Depletion
4. Chemical Dependence
Increased Chemical Use 
Increased Water Contamination

5. Inorganic Chemical Farming
• Def: Use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides,
plant-growth regulators, antibiotics, additives
or GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms)
BENEFITS COSTS
1. Ability to Monocrop 1. Water/Soil Contamination
2. Use of Non-Native Species 2. Harm to Local Wildlife
3. Predictable Outcome 3. Increased Resistance of
Pests/Pathogens
4. Allergic Reaction in Humans

6. Poor Trade Regulations
• WTO (World Trade Org.) & GATT (General
Agreement on Tariffs & Trade)
– Promote Trade Liberalization
• Theoretically: cheap & efficient production b/c everyone does
what they ‘do best’
• Realistically: lower worker wages & disregard of environ.
impact
– “THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM”
• WTO bars countries from using trade
policy to discriminate on the basis of
production methods
FAOSTAT: resource for world agro-trade info.

7. Poor Land Management
Def: Allocation of land without regard for
current or future environmental impact
Examples:
1. Extensive Deforestation
2. Abandonment of Farmland
Desertification & Increase in
Invasive Species
 Sediment Pollution of
Water

8. Non-Native Species
Why use non-native
species?
• Market DEMAND
• Open Land
• Looser Regulations
• Established Production
Method
Problems:
• Evolution into Invasive Species
•Def: Introduced Species without
Predetorial or Environmental Control
• Decreased Yield

9. Tropical Case Study: Bananas
• Biggest Exporters: Ecuador, Costa Rica,
Phillipines, Columbia
– None are Native Banana Environments!!!!
• Biggest Importers: USA, Euro., Japan, Russia
• Transnational Co.s produce 40%Harvest & 58%
Exports (May 1996)
• Costa Rica: Bananas account for 21.7% Foreign
Currency Income (May 1996)

10. Agricultural Problems
• Production to Population Ratio
• Trade: Feast vs. Famine
• Water Contamination
• Soil Degradation
• Plant & Animal Disease
• Native Biomass
Destruction

11. Current Problematic Practices
• Mono-cropping
• Chemical Farming
• Poor Trade Regulations
• Poor Land Management
• Use of Non-Native Species

12. Tropical Case Study: Bananas
Massive Monoculture Plantations
• Deforestation of Tropical Forests
– Decreased biodiversity
– Loss of Habitats
  sediment in oceans  destruction of ~90% of coral reefs on
Costa Rica’s Caribbean Cost
• Increased Suseptibility to Pathogens  Panama Disease 
Valerie Clone which requires higher chemical use
• Soil Depletion  Decreased Future Yields & Increased Fertilizer
Use

13. Tropical Case Study: Bananas
Extensive Chemical Use
• Banana Plantations account for the highest use
of chemicals
• Water/Soil Contamination
– 90% of Pesticides sprayed by plane lost to wind-drift,
soil, and rain
• DBCP  Cancer, Birth Defects,
Sterility etc. (not just humans!)
• >10% higher instances of fertility
and organ damage in persons
associated w/ plantations
www.bananasthemovie.com/.../documents.jpg

15. Tropical Case Study: Bananas
Poor Trade Regulation
• Nearly Monopolized Trade System
– 5 companies control more than 90% of the banana
trade
• Problems With EU
– Misrepresentation of Smaller/Poorer Countries
– Control Markets for Benefit of Importer
• Example of the Effect of Politics on Environment:
1960’s Ecuador Nationalized Market
 Co’s moved to Costa Rica
 Increased Competition in C.R.
 Increased Production Intensity
 Land Destruction

16. Tropical Case Study:
Bananas
• Poor Land Management
– 1872: Land to Minor Keith In Exchange for
Railroad Money
Non-Native Species
• Do bananas grow better in
Asia?
•Higher Yields
•Could C.R. grow a native
crop, such as pejibaye,
more efficiently?
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/images/peji5b.jpg

17. Possible Alternatives
• Niche Markets:
– G Word- Costa Rica Banana Growers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjVc66Fn_Uc
• Changing Production Methods
– Ex: Do not spray pesticides from planes. Use
a more direct form of application

18. Sustainable Organic Agriculture
• International Federation of Organic
Agriculture Movements
DEFINITION-Organic agriculture is a
production system that sustains the
health of soils, ecosystems and
people. It relies on ecological
processes, biodiversity and cycles
adapted to local conditions, rather
than the use of inputs with adverse
effects. Organic agriculture
combines tradition, innovation and
science to benefit the shared
environment and promote fair
relationships and a good quality of
life for all involved.

19. Sustainable Organic Agriculture
• Principles of organic
agriculture address all major
Agricultural issues
• Sales of Certified Organic
products grow 20-25% yearly
• Supply/Demand!
• Big Picture-Increasing
Population will always
pressure sustainable
ecosystem functions

20. References
• IFOAM: http://www.ifoam.org/about_ifoam/principles/index.html
• Lotter. ,D.W. 2003. Organic Agriculture Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 21. (4)
• Nelson PhD, Scot. 2006. Poly and Monocultures: The Good, the Bad, and the
Ugly.Univ. of Hawai’i at Manoa. (4-6)
• Human Land Use, Agriculture, Pesticides and Losses of Imperiled Species
– Katherine E. Gibbs, Robin L. Mackey and David J. Currie
– Diversity and Distributions, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Mar., 2009), pp. 242-253
– Published by: Blackwell Publishing
• Evaluating and Managing the Environmental Impact of Banana Production in
Costa Rica: A Systems Appro... more
– Carlos E. Hernandez and Scott G. Witter
– Ambio, Vol. 25, No. 3 (May, 1996), pp. 171-178
– Published by: Allen Press on behalf of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
• Banana Link
– http://www.bananalink.org/uk
– Built by www.nfn.org.uk
– Hosted on a memset dedicated server