The banana, a fragile and perishable fruit, nonetheless is a staple food for 400 million human beings. And, as such, it has earned its qualification as Green Gold. It’s no surprise that the banana has been a money-making affair on an industrial scale since the mid-19th century, for European colonists in Africa and the Caribbean, and North American multinationals in South America. The banana market reflects all of the tensions of
the twentieth century, from the tumultuous North-South relations to the current questions surrounding sustainable development.
The banana is first and foremost a symbol: that of the global economy. A truly modern fruit, whose performance is actively studied by hundreds of researchers. But one that nevertheless still remains on a slippery slope.
