The banana is the most eaten fruit in the world – but its future is under threat.
[ About The Future of Bananas ]
The bananas that we see in our supermarkets, eat for breakfast and blend into our smoothies are facing possible extinction. First cultivated thousands of years ago in the tropics of Southeast Asia, the banana has become the most eaten fruit in the world, with the lucrative banana industry resulting in political coups, drug trafficking and even murder.
While there are thousands of banana varieties, only one has become the western world’s favourite – the Cavendish: our familiar curvy, yellow-skinned, soft-fleshed fruit. But our obsession with the Cavendish has come at a cost. Years of selective breeding to produce the fruit we love, and humankind’s migration across the world has left the Cavendish susceptible to disease and climate change – so much so that in years to come they may face extinction. How can we save the future of the banana?
Professor James Dale is leading the way in banana research. Based at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, he and his team have developed the QCAV-4 banana – the world’s first genetically modified banana to be approved for commercial production. In the book he presents many scenarios that could be used to save the Cavendish based on the latest research and technological developments, from gene editing, cisgenics, artificial intelligence design, and biofortification, all the while bringing to life the colorful history of the banana.
Bananageddon can be prevented, he argues, if the world is ready to embrace a new future led by scientific change.
[ My Review ]
The Future of Bananas by James Dale and is published with Melville House and is described as a ‘fascinating addition to the FUTURES Series, where world expert Professor James Dale contemplates how we’ll save the humble banana.’
Having read and reviewed The Future of Travel by Daniel Maurer and The Future of Fraud by Becky Holmes, I was only too delighted to kick start the blog tour today for the latest addition in this intriguing and educational series. Do you know anything about bananas, this humble fruit that we all take so much for granted? I certainly didn’t so now everyone I meet gets hit with the same question – did you know that our every-day supermarket banana is facing extinction? To me a banana is just a staple of my weekly shop. I do sometimes select the organic variety over others but, aside from that, I have never really questioned their existence.
James Dale is a scientist on a mission to search for a solution that will protect our banana, maintaining its shape, colour and flavour. But is the population willing to accept his proposal of a genetically modified banana? In this book, James Dale provides compelling arguments for using genetics in order to prevent Panama disease taking hold of the worldwide crop, after already decimating plantations in some parts of the world. The spread of this disease is slow but its outcome is inevitable if nothing is done to prevent it.
The chapters are littered with scientific jargon but not too much that could overwhelm the reader. As I learnt about the Cavendish and, its predecessor, the Gros Michel I was amazed at the amount of research that is ongoing in biotechnology for the banana alone.
Genetic modification and genetic editing are both terms that I had never expected to be reading about but, seeing their uses in food has opened my mind to at least having the conversation and not to immediately be dismissive of this branch of research through my own ignorance and fear.
James Daly, and his cohorts, are pioneers and with climate change, and the advancement of AI, we need these people to investigate and understand what is happening on a global scale so that we can be educated and informed.
As with the previous books in this series, The Future of Bananas is another accessible read. It is a wake-up call to the world to be less complacent and to be prepared to engage more in discussions about our food, and the sustainability of our farming on every scale. No doubt a controversial book for some, The Future of Bananas is an introduction into the potential use of biotechnology in our food supply and, in particular, our humble banana. An enlightening and factual read, an important conversation to be had.
‘I think and hope, we can ensure the banana has a future, despite the red tape and regulation that often slows and stops progress. So let’s explore together what could lie ahead for the world’s favourite fruit’ – James Dale
[ Thank you to Melville House for a copy of The Future of Bananas in exchange for my honest review ]
[ Bio]
Professor James Dale is the inaugural Director of the Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities (CTCB) at Queensland University of Technology in Australia. He has been involved in biotechnology research for more than 30 years with a specific interest in bananas.
James and his team have created a resistant strain of banana, called QCAV-4, by adding a gene from a wild banana. It has just got the go ahead byregulators in Australia and New Zealand to allow commercial growth of this modified banana – a world first. This is his first book.
Fascinating!
Really is quite an eye-opener!
Sounds fascinating! I remember watching a Simon Reeve documentary years about this, but I totally forgot about it, as I’m not that keen on them so rarely buy them.