Ingenious ideas in yellow: Award-winning measures preserve biodiversity in banana and pineapple cultivation

Radolfzell, 18.03.2022: When we choose certified bananas and pineapples at the supermarket checkout, we are supporting farmers who protect the habitats of many species and thus contribute to the preservation of life on our planet. Most banana and pineapple producers have their farms in Latin American countries such as Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. The “Biodiversity pays off: bananas and pineapples from biodiversity-friendly production” campaign launched in December by the Global Nature Fund (GNF), the Lake Constance Foundation and its partners in the “Del Campo al Plato” project aims to make the sustainable practices of these producers visible.

A key component of the campaign is an ideas competition that recognizes and presents particularly innovative measures to protect biodiversity. Emilie Dardaine, consultant at the GFA Consulting Group and partner in the “Del Campo al Plato” project, explains: “We have already awarded almost thirty measures as part of the competition in Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. The winning initiatives in the ideas competitions will receive funding of between 10,000 and 25,000 US dollars per project as part of the program. In addition, the winners have contributed capital that can be more than twice as high as our contribution – this applies to large companies such as Chiquita, Del Monte and Dole, which we have also recognized for their commitment alongside small and medium-sized companies. Positive competition is a very good way of drawing attention to sustainable strategies and supporting initiatives that are successful in the long term: They arise from a need on the part of the producers themselves to take care of the natural foundations from which they benefit in their work. We support them in the long-term management of biodiversity on and around the pineapple and banana plantations and in the protection of soil and water.”

The competition has met with great interest: Since the start of the project, 100 proposals have already been submitted, and a video about some of the measures implemented has been clicked over 1,000 times on YouTube within a few days. Not only the pineapple and banana sector, but also other industries have shown interest, such as coffee producers. “Our competition is shaping future trends in both sectors and beyond,” says Dardaine. “We want the innovative measures to be imitated by other manufacturers. The ideas competition is ultimately part of a business case: it makes sense for companies to consider their production and image, the environment and biodiversity.”

Measures include, for example, the creation of biotope corridors on farms for the passage of wild animals, the production of natural fibers from pineapple stubble for handicrafts or paper production and the planting of diverse flora along roads, ditches and the edges of banana plantations to protect bees and beneficial insects.

Dardaine is particularly impressed by the variety of approaches to promote beneficial microorganisms that protect plants from pests and pathogens: “This is the most interesting for producers in both countries. We have supported nine projects on the application of biological solutions alone, all of which are aimed at improving soil quality, for example by promoting the production of earthworm humus. The use of drones can support these measures, for example by enabling more targeted applications that reduce water consumption.” The protection of soil biodiversity has a positive impact on biodiversity as a whole and secures yields in the long term – a particularly promising approach to preserving biodiversity in banana and pineapple cultivation in the long term.

Video about the competition

Further information on the award-winning measures in the ideas competition

Further information on the “Del Campo al Plato” project and the “Biodiversity bears fruit” campaign