Future of Bananas

The banana is the most eaten fruit in the world – butits future is under threat. World expert Professor JamesDale contemplates how we'll save the humble banana in this fascinating editionto the FUTURES Series.

The most eaten fruit in the world is facing possible extinction. While there are thousands of banana varieties, only one has become the West''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 humankinds'' migration across the world has left the Cavendish susceptible to disease and climate change. 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, AI design and biofortifiction, all the while bringing to life the colourful history of the banana - the lucrative banana industry has resulted in political coups, drug trafficking and even murder. Bananageddon can be prevented, he argues, if the world is ready to embrace a new future led by scientific change.