Today, we visited a banana and pineapple plantation in Sarapiqui. We first visited the banana plantation. The banana plantation we visited makes banana flour. The flour made contains no gluten. During Covid, they wanted to find something else they could sell. The solution was to produce mixes of banana flour for people to make banana bread at home. Since then, the mixes have become pancakes, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, and brownies. Something I found interesting was the marketing campaign. Bananas increased in popularity significantly after cornflakes and a banana were said to be healthy. Now, Chiquita is the primary banana corporation in Costa Rica. Unfortunately, the practices used are harmful to the environment. 

There are some weaknesses to bananas. There are over a thousand varieties of bananas, but all bananas are clones. So, all of the bananas planted are susceptible to the same diseases. Diseases spread fast, and all crops are susceptible. There are some sustainable practices used. The plantation has an irrigation system to handle the hotter temperatures from climate change. Other plants are produced on-site. There is less of a need to go to the supermarkets, and they will know what is in their products. The goal is to maximize space and efficiency on the plantation. 

Pineapple is vital to the Costa Rican economy. Costa Rica is the primary producer of pineapple around the world. Two million tons of pineapple are exported from Costa Rica per year. There was also a shocking statistic that 95% of the organic pineapple produced comes from Costa Rica. While Costa Rica is successful in pineapple production, the costs are high. The process takes about two years. The length of time makes production expensive. Many pineapple plantations hire from Nicaragua. Nicaragua has one of the lowest minimum salaries, so hiring saves costs. However, it still costs companies about one thousand dollars a month per employee. 

The plantation we toured used plastic to avoid erosion, while other companies used herbicides. Plastic is more expensive, but it is better for the crop. Costa Rica is one of the top purchasers of agricultural chemicals because pineapple production is large. This may contradict some sustainable and conservation objectives in Costa Rica, but some sustainable practices are used. The only fertilizers used contain natural materials. The plantation is entirely organic. We also learned that the company hires locals who may have been excluded from the tourism industry. Now that I have visited a coffee, banana, and pineapple plantation, I notice differences. The main difference between the supply chain of coffee and bananas/pineapple is that the coffee requires a manufacturer. Bananas and pineapples can go directly from the supplier to the distributor. Between coffee, bananas, and pineapple, I would prefer to work on the coffee plantation. At Doka, they provided housing, meals, and healthcare. The work is strenuous, but there are several benefits provided.