Banana Cultures

Banana Cultures by John Soluri is broader and more detailed research of consumption, culture and environment changes of banana.  The author successfully demonstrates the transformation in consumption in relation to environmental changes. John Soluri connected the environmental changes taking place in Honduras and its influences in Banana market. Similar to the chapter titled The Banana in U. S History From Silver to Cocaine, this book shows the importance of banana as fruit as well as the need of American companies to increase supply and demand in the markets.  I found very unique the fact that this book addresses some of obstacles and challenges facing banana productions such as diseases lack of farmland fertility, and negative effects of spraying both on the fruit and the farmers. 

            I am not completely discarding this book; I will leave it for now in my maybe group.  I find the author’s approach to the topics such as consumption, production, and supply and demand were too detailed, and in the process he used more and more information, which made it harder for me to follow the main ideas. However, I liked how the author includes the input of female farmers and their influences in banana agriculture.   Even though he discusses certain topic into details the female farmers was not one of his lengthy one. Overall the book is not too complicated, if you omit certain detailed chapters that can be frustrating.  And finally the book does fit our defections of commodity and commodity history.