Climate change is fuelling crop disease and slashing yields for vulnerable farmers
WORLDWIDE:
Climate change could render nearly two-thirds of banana-growing areas in Latin America and the Caribbean unsuitable by 2080, threatening the world’s most consumed fruit, according to a new report from Christian Aid.
Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, stronger storms, and fungal diseases are already damaging yields in key producing countries like Guatemala, Costa Rica and Colombia, the report said.
Bananas are a vital food source and cash crop. Globally, more than 400 million people rely on the fruit for up to 27% of their daily calories.
While 80% of bananas are consumed locally, the vast majority of global exports come from Latin America and the Caribbean—one of the regions most exposed to climate extremes.
The report, titled Going Bananas: How Climate Change Threatens the World’s Favourite Fruit, highlights that climate-driven impacts are already being felt on the ground.
“Climate change has been killing our crops. This means there is no income because we cannot sell anything,” said Aurelia Pop Xo, a 53-year-old banana farmer in Guatemala. “What is happening is that my plantation has been dying.”
Bananas, especially the cavendish variety, are highly climate-sensitive. They thrive within a narrow temperature range of 15C to 35C and require carefully balanced rainfall.
Excess water and violent storms can damage leaves, weakening the plant’s ability to photosynthesise.
The lack of genetic diversity in the global banana trade, which largely depends on the cavendish, makes the fruit especially vulnerable to climate-related threats.
Fungal diseases such as black leaf fungus and fusarium wilt are spreading faster under changing weather patterns, further threatening plantations.
Christian Aid is urging wealthy, high-emitting countries to rapidly phase out fossil fuels and provide financial support for adaptation in low-income communities most affected by climate change.
“Bananas are not just the world’s favourite fruit, they are also an essential food for millions of people,” said Osai Ojigho, Christian Aid’s policy and campaigns director.
“The lives and livelihoods of people who have done nothing to cause the climate crisis are already under threat.”
