Banana Capital: Stories, Science, and Poison at the Equator (Digestions)

For more than a century, banana plantations and farms in Latin America have defined the landscape and economies wherever these fruits are grown—toxic chemicals, exploited workers, and fragile monocultures are their legacy. At the southern end of Ecuador’s la costa region lies the city of Machala, the self-described “Banana Capital” of the world. There, farmers and workers experience alarming rates of negative health effects associated with widespread pesticide use along with precarious and unsafe working conditions. Banana Capital: Stories, Science, and Poison at the Equator reveals the grim realities of daily life for banana farmers and, beyond that, seeks to understand and address these challenges. Ben Brisbois’s search for understanding leads him back to the 19th-century origins of banana production in the Americas and through over a century of imperialism, bloodshed, and ecological devastation. Along the way, he uncovers how worker-led resistances and the ever-unpredictable ecosystem thwart repeated attempts by powerful multinationals and their government allies to extract more and more wealth from banana plantations at the cost of Latin American health and lives. Banana Capital reveals the power dynamics of life in the banana industry— dynamics vividly experienced by workers caught in a struggle against corporations prioritizing profit over the health of the land and the community. Read more