http://www.grist.org/article/food-2011-01-13-banana-crisis-and-gmos
Posted by Dr. Finzer on January 22
We all know the horrible conditions experienced by workers under the United Fruit Company, but did you know that its younger cousins are not doing things much differently today? I didn’t. Dole, Chiquita, and Del Monte were three out of the top five global companies that most violated union rights in 2010. 43 unionists against Chiquita and 51 unionists against Dole have been killed in the last decade, and both companies were accused of paying paramilitary groups--designated terrorist organizations--to carry out the killings. A lawsuit filed against Dole in 2009 for this crime was simply dismissed.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/11906-dole-lawsuit-dismissed-paramilitaries.html
Some people support the idea of genetically modifying the Cavendish banana to carry it through its current blight. Personally, I used to think that genetic modification of crops was a great idea in theory. The risks are limited if it's done correctly. But what the article points out is that what going ahead with GMOs truly means is supporting some atrocious global companies, not to mention sustaining the concepts of big agribusiness, monoculture farming, and long-distance delivery of product. We need to stop believing the hype and start supporting small farmers, growing our own gardens, and hoarding all the different strains of crops that we can. Maybe we should boycott non-fair-trade and non-organic bananas, or not eat them at all. Supposedly, you can buy fair-trade bananas here in Arkansas at Sam’s Club:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/Sams-Club-Fair-Trade/Certified-Bananas/prweb3001914.htm
To end on a better note....this is a famous song written in 1923 that is thought to be inspired by a banana blight of the time. You might recognize it from the movie Sabrina. People sang this in Britain in WWII when they boycotted bananas!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes!_We_Have_No_Bananas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BjkB5h_2so
3 comments:
Yes. The world is a horrible place. This is why I can't stand the news. reading about Indian farmers committing suicide because of Monsantos genetically modified seeds ruining their lives, sweat shops, coca plantations, etc. Apparently, c'est la vie.
Chaquita made payments to both the FARC and right wing para militaries in Colombia. Most likely some kind of exthortion.
These kinds of business practioes are related to government policies in the developing world. The recent failure of the WTO Doha Development Round in Mexico City was centered precisely around these types of practices. The Developing World block had requested the U.S. and Europe reduce agricultural subsidies. The Developed Countires agreed to their proposals and countered with proposals for improvements in working conditions and environmental standards. These proposals were dismissed summarily by the Developing World block. They do not want to give up the advantage low wages and poor working conditions give them in international trade. Until the Developing World leaders themselves agree to better working conditions through WTO oversight, those kinds of abuses will continue.
Doug, yes. I couldn't read the news for a long time now I try to stay abreast of what I can. I guess I'm hoping it's not yet hopeless.
Tom, that's an interesting perspective. Can you give me some links to look at so I can better understand what happened?
This article was in the Health section of the nytimes today. The link is titled "Yes, we still have bananas." :) It's about the radiation level in bananas versus that in food coming out of the Japan area right now.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/health/12essay.html?scp=2&sq=bananas&st=cse
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