The journey of a banana from the Windward Islands to our supermarket shelves.

Bananas are grown all over the world Most of the bananas we eat come from the Caribbean, but they are also grown in some parts of Africa, Southern Asia, central America and Northern Australia. To grow bananas need hot and humid weather.

In the Windward Islands, many people depend upon banana farming to make a living The Windward Islands are the islands of Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada. A lot of the population of these islands depend upon growing and selling bananas to make a living.

Bananas are grown in small, family-run farms Bananas are grown in small, family-run farms. As the price of bananas has fallen on the world market, families in the Windwards are struggling to make enough money as large corporations can produce the crop at lower costs. Banana farmers struggle to make enough money as world prices are low. Big companies can produce bananas for less money than smaller, family-run farms

It takes months for farmers to clear their land, dig holes and plant the banana trees. After 6 months, the bananas will begin to appear. Growing bananas is hard-work. It takes a lot of work to grow and care for the banana trees.

Bananas are wrapped in blue plastic to protect them while they grow Each cluster of bananas has to be wrapped in blue plastic while it is growing to protect the fruits from damage. Bananas are wrapped in blue plastic to protect them while they grow

After 9 months the bananas are harvested The bananas are picked after 9months, they are still green. The banana harvest takes a lot of time and skill as each cluster is cut down by hand. After 9 months the bananas are harvested

The bananas are washed, labelled and boxed to ready to be shipped to the UK All the bananas are washed, labelled and boxed ready to be shipped to supermarkets in the UK. Boxes of bananas are taken in big trucks from the small farms to the warehouses near to the ships.

Fruit buyers are very picky Fruit buyers are very picky. Each banana is measured and checked to ensure it meets the needs- size, shape, colour- of the UK supermarkets. Many bananas are rejected. These damaged fruits are sold in the local market at a cheaper proce. Fruit buyers are very picky. Each banana is measured and checked to ensure it meets UK supermarkets needs.

Bananas travel by boat from the Windward Islands to the UK Bananas travel by boat from the Windward Islands to the UK. The journey takes 6 days. The boxed bananas are loaded onto huge ships to make the 6 day journey from the Windward islands to the UK. The fruit is kept very cold throughout this journey so the bananas do not ripen.

You are now going to do a role playing activity to learn about the different people involved in the banana’s journey. The class will be divided into 5 groups, and each group will be given a role- either grower, Windward Island Banana Development Company, Shipping/ Packaging, Wholesaler or Retailer. Please read the role card you have been given. Any questions about your role? This banana costs 30p in the supermarket. This 30p goes to the 5 groups involved in the banana trade, but it isn’t divided equally between the groups involved. As a group, you have 5 minutes to decide what ‘share’ they think their group should earn from the 30p of every single banana sold. You should consider the amount of work involved, what their job involves and any expenses they must meet. Please appoint a spokesperson to tell the rest of the group your decision (with reasons). Please write the amount your group should earn on the banana. Each spokesperson will present their case. Once all 5 groups have presented, it is likely that their ‘share’ combined will add up to more than 30p.

This is the actual division of the income This is the actual division of the income. Each group receives this much. Spend 3-4 minutes discussing the following as a class group- -Who gets what? -How do the growers feel? Is this fair? -What division would be fairer? Key Idea: the growers receive only a small amount of the money we pay for a banana, and find it hard to earn a living. The fairtrade scheme helps to improve the deal small farmers receive.

How is Fair Trade helping people growing bananas? So, banana farmers work very hard to get bananas onto the shelves of UK supermarkets. Lets look at some case studies of real farmers in the Windward Islands to see how Fair trade and investment in small scale farmers is helping to improve the lives of people living there.