You may have heard a rumor that bananas are going extinct. Is it true? The short answer, woefully, is yes. However, the long answer is a bit more complicated.
For starters, there are hundreds of banana varieties worldwide, and not all of them are threatened. The type of banana we find in grocery stores is known as the Cavendish cultivar. According to a 2016 CNN.com article, the Cavendish species of banana is considered a monoculture, meaning it is the only species grown by most commercial farmers – and it is currently facing extinction due to a rapidly spreading fungus.
Part of the problem, the CNN article says, is that the Cavendish lacks genetic diversity; the plants are all clones of one another. This keeps the species’ flavor and appearance consistent, but it also makes this variety of banana less resistant to the spread of disease.
Banana growers and agricultural specialists are working to develop new banana hybrids that are immune to the fungus. But currently, there is no immediate solution to the crisis.
A world without bananas? It’s just too bananas for me to imagine.