Home » Video
Banana Link takes a look at the successful development of organic banana production by Compagnie Fruitière, primarily at its subsidiary Golden Exotics Limited in Ghana (500 ha), and to a lesser extent at SCB in Côte d’Ivoire (100 ha) and Finca la Valentina in Ecuador (150 ha).
A short film about the work of Banana Link made by a group of International Development Students at the University of East Anglia, in our home city of Norwich.
Golden Exotics Limited (GEL) are working in partnership with the International Union of Foodworkers Africa (IUF) and Banana Link to improve working conditions for women on their 2000 hectare Fairtrade certified banana plantation in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
The World Banana Forum is a permanent platform that promotes collaboration and open dialogue on challenges facing the banana industry by bringing together key stakeholders, including representatives of the global supply chain. The WBF organizes global conferences with industry leaders and experts to discuss burning issues. These events give stakeholders the chance to be at the centre of discussions on global issues in the banana sector and to network. They offer a unique opportunity to strengthen the collaboration of key players and translate ideas into action.
El Foro Mundial Bananero es una plataforma permanente que promueve la colaboración y el diálogo abierto sobre los desafíos que enfrenta la industria bananera, reuniendo a los principales grupos de interés, incluyendo a los representantes de la cadena de suministro global. El FMB organiza conferencias globales con líderes de la industria y expertos para discutir temas urgentes. Estos eventos brindan a los interesados la oportunidad de estar en el centro de los debates sobre asuntos globales del sector bananero y de fortalecer su red de contactos. Ofrecen una oportunidad única para fortalecer la colaboración entre los actores clave y traducir las ideas en acción.
Le Forum mondial de la banane (FMB) est une plate-forme permanente qui favorise la collaboration et le dialogue autour des défis auxquels fait face le secteur de la banane. Il réunit les principaux acteurs du secteur, y compris les représentants de la filière au niveau mondial. Le FMB organise des conférences au niveau mondial avec les leaders et experts du secteur pour débattre de sujets d’actualité. Ces événements offrent aux parties prenantes la possibilité d’être au centre des discussions sur les enjeux internationaux dans le secteur de la banane et d’établir des réseaux. Ils constituent une occasion unique de renforcer la collaboration entre les acteurs clés pour traduire les idées en actions.
The Participatory Action Learning for Sustainability (PALS) pilot project included seven small-scale farming communities and cooperatives in the banana and cacao sector in Mindanao, Philippines.
Compagnie Fruitière is the main producer and exporter of fruit from the African, Caribbean and Pacific region, mainly bananas and pineapples, produced on its farms in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana.
Compagnie Fruitière is also the world’s leading producer of certified fairtrade bananas. Compagnie Fruitière employs over 20,000 people, with 97% of them in Africa.
Banana Link coordinates the Rethinking Value Chains (RGV) network which brings together civil society actors with expertise on value chain issues and the empowerment of workers and local communities in the face of global corporate economic interests. The aim is to provide a space for these diverse organisations to engage in fundamental discussions on the current dominant economic system and ways to work together towards sustainable alternatives that put people and the environment first.
Le Collectif Repenser les Filières regroupe des acteurs de la société civile en niveau internationale – notamment des ONG’s, des organisations syndicales et des établissements universitaires – ayant une expertise concernant les questions de filières et l’autonomisation des travailleurs et des communautés locales face aux intérêts économiques mondiaux des entreprises.
Between 2013 and 2016, Banana link worked with the General Agricultural Workers Union of Ghana (GAWU), the Fako Agricultural Workers Union (FAWU) in Cameroon, along with the International Union of Foddworkers to educate workers about their rights and to empower union representatives to secure decent working conditions on banana and pineapple plantations in Cameroon and Ghana.
Entre 2013 et 2016, Banana Link a facilité un projet visant à éduquer les travailleurs à propos de leurs droits, et à permettre aux représentants syndicaux de sécuriser des conditions de travail décentes sur les plantations de bananes et d’ananas au Ghana et au Cameroun
Entre 2013 y 2016, Banana Link ha posibilitado un proyecto para educar a los trabajadores acerca de sus derechos, y motivar a los representantes sindicales para asegurar condiciones laborales decentes en plantaciones de banana y piña tanto en Ghana como en Camerún.
A Banana Link education programme in Ghana between 2013 and 2016 has empowered women workers to become active in promoting health and safety on plantations.
Having received training themselves on health & safety, the women are then empowered to provide training to the other workers on their plantations.
Entre 2013 y 2016, un programa educativo de Banana Link que opera en Ghana ha empoderado a mujeres trabajadoras para que promuevan activamente temas de Salud y Seguridad Ocupacional en las plantaciones.
Habiendo recibido entrenamiento en Salud y Seguridad Ocupacional, las mujeres están empoderadas para brindar capacitación a otros trabajadores en sus plantaciones.
Tomas Membreño, President of the STAS trade union, representing workers sacked at Fyffes’ subsidiary in Honduras for joining the union, recently spoke to Banana Link about the violations of labour rights at the company, the plight of the sacked workers, the importance of international support for their campaign, and their hopes now that Fyffes has been suspended by the UK Government’s Ethic Trading Initiative as a result.
Read more at: makefruitfair.org/fyffes/
Tomas Membreño, Presidente del Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Agroindustria y Similares (STAS), que representa a los trabajadores que perdieron sus trabajos porque se afiliaron al sindicato, habla con Banana Link sobre las violaciones de los derechos de los trabajadores en la filial de Fyffes, Suragro, en Honduras
In this interview, Noè Ramírez of banana workers’ union SITRABI speaks about the violation of labour rights in Guatemala and the murder of trade union activists. Noè’s brother, Marco Tulio Ramírez, also a SITRABI union leader, was murdered in October 2007. He describes efforts to improve workers’ rights and condition at plantations on the south coast of Guatemala, where they are hoping to replicate SITRABI’s successes in Izabal.
“I don’t like unions. I will fight them.”
This short film tells the story of what happened to banana workers on the Los Alamos plantation in Ecuador when workers decided to organise and strike to gain basic labour rights.
This is an eyewitness account of the strike and the response of the plantation owner, Ecuador’s richest man.
Bonita: Ugly Bananas – another film documenting the story of the labour conflict and repression of workers at the Los Alamos plantation
vimeo.com/19898988
Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful countries in the world but land and water are being polluted by industrial scale agriculture.
Le Costa Rica est l’un des plus beaux pays au monde mais ses terres et son eau sont polluées par une agriculture industrielle.
Kostarika je jedna z nejkrásnějších zemí světa. Produkce banánů a ananasů tu ale způsobuje velké znečištění vody a půdy.
For more information about the social and environmental impacts of agrochemicals you can watch Pura Vida
vimeo.com/18953426
Working conditions on plantations are extremely tough….workers tell their stories about the impacts on their health, income and rights.
Les conditions de travail dans les plantations sont extrêmement dures… Les travailleurs-ses témoignent des impacts qu’elles ont sur leur santé, leurs revenus et leurs droits
The film Bananas Unpeeled, introduced by comedian Mark Thomas, investigates the social and environmental issues facing banana plantation workers and farmers in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In Latin America, banana production for export takes place on large plantations, where harsh working conditions and environmental damage are the norm. Just five companies control over 80% of world trade. Meanwhile, small Caribbean banana farmers are being squeezed out of the market by a war in the World Trade Organisation led by the multinational banana companies. But alternatives are emerging…
The film Bananas Unpeeled, introduced by comedian Mark Thomas, investigates the social and environmental issues facing banana plantation workers and farmers in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In Latin America, banana production for export takes place on large plantations, where harsh working conditions and environmental damage are the norm. Just five companies control over 80% of world trade. Meanwhile, small Caribbean banana farmers are being squeezed out of the market by a war in the World Trade Organisation led by the multinational banana companies. But alternatives are emerging…
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.