Bananas are the fruit of a plant of the genus Musa, which are cultivated primarily for food, and secondarily for the production of fibers. It is alleged that there are almost 1000 varieties of bananas in the world, subdivided in 50 groups (Bora, 2007). The most generally known banana is the seedless Cavendish variety, which is the one produced for export markets and pronounced for consuming. The banana is the fruit of an herbaceous plant related to the orchid family and is most commonly found in tropical climate areas which become an exotic product of cold environment zones.
The banana is believed to have originated in Southeast Asia and Malaysia, and cultivation could have started as early as 8000 BCE. The professionals believe that bananas were the first fruit cultivated by humans and the first domestication took place in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, but China was the first country to cultivate the fruit in an organized production method. The banana did not hit the market in the United States until 1870 after two men realized it’s potential. Lorenzo Dow Baker was a ship captain that brought the banana back from a trip in Jamaica and sold it in the New Jersey market for a small profit. The other man was Minor Keith who worked on a railroad in Costa Rica and planted banana trees near the construction site. After the railway was completed he transported the fruit by train to the United States for retailing and soon the banana became a very popular food in the US. The mass production potential of the banana was discovered in the same year by several American and European businessmen. They implemented a plan to export the fruit and established companies for its plantation. Gradually, an entire industry emerged in Central ...
... middle of paper ...
...if they spend a little extra capital to manufacture a green product they should be compensated on the purchase price. Basically, the corporations only care about their profit margins and organic products provide an environmental factor that will market to the diverse consumer. We as consumers face difficult choices every day. Many of those choices involve balancing the risks and benefits of our activities. Research is increasingly showing that buying organic reduces many risks associated with agriculture and food while also providing benefits. Farmers and food processors will respond to consumer demand; they will use fewer pesticides, fertilizers, additives, antibiotics etc. if that is what the consumer wants. It is our responsibility as a consumer, however, to be prepared to pay more for our food so that farmers can change their practices (Hammermeister, 2007).
While it is still unsure when and how banana cultivators reached the Americas, it is sure that they have been present in the region for about 400 years. Banana trade formed itself around a single species of banana called Gros Michel. The banana is a narrow genetic base that shapes its future export production in tedious ways. For example, Argo-ecosystems were a result of small and large-scale production of Gros Michel bananas. Which are “places created and transformed by fluid processes that are subject to change over time and space” (Soluri 5). Natural habitats were replaced and spaces were created that invited the pathogens with Gros Michel’s monocultures, which caused problems for
In his introduction, Soluri introduces his idea of the banana as a symbol, something that he repeats throughout the book. I believe this is one of his strongest arguments. To him, the banana is a symbol of the "distance" (2) between those who grow the banana and those who consume. According to Soluri, while the actual fruit lost its exoticism
Steven Shapin is an expert when it comes to telling people the reality of the situation. In his, article “What Are You Buying When You Buy Organic?” Shapin exposes and explains the truth behind the word organic. He explains that our view on organic is not a reality. The small farms that we picture in our heads are really just big business in disguise and these big businesses are trying to do good by supposedly not using harmful pesticides. Which are supposed to not damage the environment but in reality they are probably not making any sort of difference. Some people care about the environment, while others are buying taste when it comes to organic food but using different pesticides are going to help the taste, only freshness tastes the best.
Literary devices are used by Sandra Cisneros throughout the vignette “The Monkey Garden”, to highlight the mood of the piece. For instance, Cisneros uses personification to encompass feelings of mysticality when she says things disappeared in the Garden, “as if the garden itself ate them.”(95) Personification was used by Cisneros to plant Esperanza’s humanlike description of the garden, while creating a sense of mystery and enchantment in the reader. Similarly, Cisneros describes how the tree Esperanza was near “wouldn’t mind if she lay down” (97). In this section, the tree is personified as a friend Esperanza can lay with. The fictional and humanlike style that the situation is described in further accentuates the mystical mood Cisneros is
The expansion of European plants into the New World commenced with Columbus's second voyage (Crosby, 67). Columbus loaded his seventeen ship fleet with seeds and crop-producing fruits ...
The Columbian Exchange was a critical episode in history that created the first truly global network between the Old and New Worlds (Green). Many goods were recognized for their value instantaneously while the potential profits that other assets could offer were overlooked (Mcneill). Modest in appearance, the cacao bean would eventually develop into one of the most delectable, sought-after beverages by the elite of Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, and eventually France and England. Nonetheless, the history of the cacao bean is a very bittersweet one. Its prominence among Europeans can ultimately be traced to the inhumane labor imposed on Native American captives and African slaves to cultivate cocoa beans as demand in Western Europe augmented by exponential numbers.
Even though bananas may simply look like a fruit, they signify a wide variety of environmental, economic, social, and political problems. The banana trade injustices in the global trade market, symbolizes economic imperialism, and the worldwide spread of the agricultural economy. Bananas are also number four on the list of staple crops in the world and one of the major profit makers in supermarkets, making them vital for economic and global food security. Being one of the many first tropical fruits to be exported, bananas were a cheap way to bring “the tropics” to North America and Europe. Bananas have become such a widespread, inexpensive grocery item that we often forget where they come from and how they got here.
The first references to the family of plants known as “Beta” can be found in Greek literature around 420BC. They were described as garden plants; dark and light varieties are mentioned. Sugar beet was first grown 2000 years ago originally for its leaves, which were probably the spinach or swiss chard of their day. Beet gradually spread throughout France and Spain, often in monasteries but also by peasant farmers. By the fifteenth century beet was grown all over Europe. The vegetable was probably selected from various Beta species growing around the shores of the Mediterranean. It was widely used for culinary purposes in Europe from the middle Ages onwards.
Back in the day, the United Fruit Company was a very big deal, especially in New Orleans. A man named Zemurray, in particular, greatly impacted New Orleans. Rich Cohen became obsessed with Zemurray and wrote a book, The Fish That Ate The Whale:The Life and Times of America’s Banana King, giving a complete explanation on all the good, and also the very worst Zemurray did. Sam Zemurray and his family made very large contributions to Tulane, started many foundations in his name, and also had a garden named after him. People have forgotten about him and will never learn who Zemurray actually is. Zemurray left a great legacy in New Orleans and in many parts of Louisiana, unfortunately he has been forgotten.
Wheat became one of the most consumed and important crops in the world. The importance of wheat was due to the fact that it could be grown very easily, grown in abundance, and fairly easily transported across long distances. An additional crop which was extremely influential in the New World and the Columbian Exchange was sugar cane. “Sugar cane in the 1500s changed trade in a huge way”(Mintz 1). Although sugar cane could be used in a wide range of goods, it was the demand for sugar, which was used in tea that helped fuel the desire for more and more of this sweet product. With constantly increasing demands, huge plantations on the American continents were created to grow and process this product for ever increasing demands from the European continent. And with this ever increasing demand, also came the need for more laborers in the fields and processing sheds to help supply the overseas purchasers. Even today sugar cane is still one of the most commonly grown plants in the world. It was the introduction of these crops and their subsequent demands for workers, which “became the foundation for some of the largest slave facilities in South America and America”(Crosby 2). These crops laid the foundations of some of the most powerful countries, with the largest economies in the world, that exist even
When the European empires started exploring, they discovered the New World, or North, Central, and South America. They settled colonies and started planting crops like tobacco and cotton. As demand quickly grew in Europe for these pr...
For years organic farmers and conventional farmers have feuded over which is superior. Organic farmers argue that their product is more eco-friendly because they do not use the synthetic chemicals and fertilizers conventional farmer’s use. Conventional farmers argue that their product is healthier and yields more. People tend to have stereotypes regarding the two types of farmers. Organic farmers are usually thought of as liberal, hippy, tree-huggers while conventional farmers are usually thought of as right-wing, industrialists. Obviously, some do adhere to this stereotype, but a majority of these farmers are normal, hardworking people. Although these farmers, both believe in their methods, one is no better than the other. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but there is no true superior method of crop farming.
Normally, the farmers get lower payment than other people in the value chain even though the farmers probably work harder than the others and use long time to grow ingredients. Hence, I think the farmers should get what they deserve in order to make their life better. Furthermore, this can encourage the farmer to produce more organic crops that are not harmful our environment and this campaign also supports fair trading.
This is a prime example of perception and cultural assumption. Varying cultures may view the banana as a different color, such as, green,
...for environment, they can buy organic foods. In addition, there is a secondary reason that maybe has influence on purchasing organic foods: higher price. Organic foods generally are more expensive than conventional foods, so for some affluent people who support that organic foods are healthier,