Bananas and modernity

            Modernity is a tricky concept to interpret. Scholars argue all the time on when exactly “modernity” occurs in a society. Although complex, it doesn’t stop historians from integrating their own ideas of “modernity” and this book is no different. In Banana Cultures: Agriculture, Consumption, and Environmental Change in Honduras and the United States, John Soluri offers his own insight. To Soluri, “the banana industry brought modernity to these low-lying tropical areas” as the fruit soon dominated Central American agriculture. Looking at how Soluri went about illustrating how the banana industry became a great example of globalization was intriguing. Readers see the launch of transnational corporations, like the United Fruit Company (known today as Chiquita Brands), immigration (and its consequences), and the introduction of biotechnologies to control diseases and pests in banana farms.

            Soluri identified the issues transnational corporations brought to Honduras and the banana trade. As U.S. demand for bananas increased, the need for more workers increased. This led to the exploitation and disputes among workers that brought about strikes; tensions between shippers and growers came to the forefront; and lastly, land was being taken, leaving the locals with very little. Eventually, much of the workforce was able to unionize, solidifying higher wages and better standards of living.

Although politics/business practices are an important part of “modernity,” the institution of biotechnologies to save banana farms from disease was extremely important for both the producers and consumers. The first damage came in the form of poor soil. In order to adjust for overused soil, companies bought more land, leading to deforestation. However, fungi were destroying crops by the millions, devastating the now fragile economy. Natural disasters didn’t improve matters. Large corporations were able to keep afloat with rising costs of pest controls; however hundreds of small companies were unable to afford the imported medicines needed to control Sigatoka and failed. This “new medicine” for the crops proved to be deadly for anyone who sprayed the fields. It did not stop big corporations from implementing the practice, encouraging workers to wear masks. According to Soluri: “The work of Sigatoka control marked the onset of an era in which the export banana industry relied upon chemical inputs in order to overcome problems associated with plant diseases, pests, and declining soil fertility.” Even today, we use DDT to control pests from crops. So, did Soluri give enough evidence to argue modernity? I believe he did.