World Banana Forum | Banana Link

Banana Link is an active member of the World Banana Forum (WBF), which is a space where the main stakeholders of the global banana supply-chain work together to achieve consensus on best practices for sustainable production and trade. We believe collaboration is the key for progress.

The mission of the World Banana Forum is to:

inspire collaboration between stakeholders that produces pragmatic outcomes for the betterment of the banana industry; and
achieve consensus of best practices regarding workplace issues, gender equity, environmental impact, sustainable production and economic issues.

The WBF brings together retailers, importers, producers, exporters, consumer associations, governments, research institutions, trade unions, and civil society organizations.

World Banana Forum Working Groups

WG01 | Sustainable Production Systems and Environmental Impact

WG01 deals with Sustainable Production Systems and Environmental Impact. This group seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the main issues related to sustainable banana production and to develop a road map towards improving sustainability in banana production.

The specific objectives of the working group are to:

agree on a comprehensive definition of sustainable banana production
identify the most important sustainability issues in banana production
compile and exchange information and knowledge about sustainability and related issues in banana production systems
list and discuss potential solutions, and come up with a priority list of most promising options to tackle sustainability issues in banana production
initiate and facilitate actions taken towards achieving identified options for solutions to sustainability issues in banana production systems
set up pilot projects around at least one of these identified options
exchange relevant information with other WGs of the WBF and externally
cope with the spread of Fusarium wilt TR4, also known as Panama disease, through the WBF ad-hoc Task Force on TR4.

WG02 | Distribution of Value

WG02 on Distribution of Value seeks to work towards a fair distribution of value along global banana supply chains.

The main objectives of the Working Group (WG) are to:

Identify the key actors at all stages of the supply chain
Agree on a typology of the different supply chains in the global industry
Prioritise what information needs to be gathered in order to work towards a fair distribution of value (e.g. labour costs, FOB, CIF and retail prices)
Map the distribution of value in key supply chains (a representative selection of origins and markets)
Evaluate and understand the difference between costs of production and costs of sustainable production along the chain
Agree on a practical methodology – the Anker methodology – for approximating “living” or “decent” wages at plantation/farm level
Support living wage benchmark studies in banana-producing countries, living wage advocacy activities with diverse stakeholders, and living wage implementation efforts
Explore the feasibility of various approaches and interventions for the redistribution of value along the chain
Explore synergies and exchange relevant information with other WGs of the WBF, as well as externally

WG03 | Labour Rights

WG03 deals with Labour Rights and works closely with FAO and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Since the first formal meeting of the working group in Guayaquil, Ecuador in November 2010 the group has focused on its three priority areas: trade union freedom and collective bargaining, health and safety, and gender.

The Working Group 03 has a specialized Task Force on Gender Equity to ensure that gender equity is a cross-cutting theme in the World Banana Forum’s work.

The Key Outputs Of The Group So Far Include:

Publication Labour relations: Successful cases within the banana industry including recommendations on improving labour relations and making collective bargaining work.
A proposal to industry stakeholders on the issue of occupational health and safety, which led to the development of the BOHESI multi-stakeholder project on health and safety in the banana industry.
Research on women’s employment and decent work within the banana industry, including a Global Overview and regional reports for Latin America, West and Central Africa and the Caribbean.
A ‘Diagnosis on the labour rights situation in 25 priority banana producing countries’ and subsequent proposals to WBF stakeholders on: Freedom of association and collective bargaining; occupational health and safety; and Discrimination.

Task Force on Gender Equity

The World Banana Forum Task Force on Gender Equity (GE-TF) has been set up to ensure that gender equity is pushed forward as a cross-cutting theme across the various activities of the WBF and its three working groups.

The Task Force seeks to contribute towards a better understanding of gender issues and the realities faced by female workers along the global banana chain whilst ensuring that women representatives of the global banana industry are present and active in all decision-making processes that affect them.

Among Its Key Outputs Are:

A ‘Multi-Stakeholder Meeting on Gender Equity in the Banana Industry‘ in November 2017, which preceded the Third Global Conference of the WBF, and highlighted five priority areas for the future activities of the Task Force:
- Women’s employment opportunities
- Women’s empowerment
- Gender pay gap
- Health and safety
- Sexual harassment and gender-based violence
A ‘Global Women’s Strategy Meeting on Gender Equity in the Banana Industry’ funded by Fairtrade Germany and hosted by Fairtrade International in Bonn, December 2015
A publication on ‘Progress Towards Gender Equity in the Banana Industry‘ (2017), produced by Banana Link and Fairtrade International, which summarizes discussions held during the 2015 meeting in Bonn, Germany, and further highlights the progress made on gender issues since then
A series of publications on ‘Women in the Banana Export Industry’ (2015) – a Global Overview and Regional Reports for Latin America, West and Central Africa and the Caribbean, funded by the FAO
Specific chapters on advances for women workers included in the WBF publication ‘Labour relations: Successful cases within the banana industry‘, May 2014
Two capacity building workshops for women and male trade union and small producer leaders in Latin America (held in Panama, March 2013) and in Africa (held in Cameroon, September 2013) to empower participants to actively engage in the WBF and its three working groups
The adaptation of the WBF Charter to incorporate gender equity as a cross-cutting theme

WBF projects

Good Practices in The Banana Industry

This portal presents examples of good practices in the banana industry and focuses on environmental practices, standards and certifications, health and safety and social practices along the whole banana production chain.

Task Force on Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race 4

Many banana sector players are aware of the threat of the Tropical Race 4 strain of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (TR4) that causes Fusarium wilt (formerly known as “Panama disease”, but the use of this term is not advisable) in Cavendish bananas. Several other banana cultivars are also susceptible to TR4.

Banana Occupational Health & Safety Initiative (BOHESI)

It aims to contribute to a more socially and environmentally sustainable banana production and trade with improved standards of living (in particular in relation to health and natural resource access) for male and female banana workers, farmers and surrounding communities.

Reducing Carbon & Water Footprints in Banana Plantations

Practical guide to reduce carbon and water footprints in banana plantations, developed with a value chain approach.

Living Wage Advocacy Initiative (LIWIN)

The project aims to establish living wage benchmarks that can be used for future wage negotiations and minimum wage setting interventions in the banana sector of each country.

BananEx

The World Banana Forum collaborates with the University of Exeter on BananEx – A three year, interdisplinary project on the resilience of the banana supply chain in the UK.