, Columnist
The Bananapocalypse Is Nigh
The failure to diversify makes the world's favorite fruit vulnerable to a wipeout.
Enjoy them while you can.
Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/BloombergThe bananapocalypse is coming. That’s the likelihood that sometime in the next decade, bananas may disappear, victims of a fungal pathogen known as Panama Disease. The disease is on the march throughout the world, threatening the future of the world’s most popular fruit.
Panama Disease may be the cause of this disaster, but it’s also a symptom of a bigger problem afflicting global agriculture: a failure to diversify. For the past couple of centuries, the tendency has been to adopt a single reputable cultivar and — literally — bet the farm on it.