Bananas
Bananas are one of the most-consumed fruits in the world. For many, it would be difficult to imagine a breakfast without them. Yet, as production costs and costs of living in banana-producing countries continue to rise, banana prices have failed to keep up and consumers continue to enjoy the fruits at relatively low cost. At the bottom of the supply chain, wages for many workers remain so low that they fail to meet a decent standard of living.
Global Living Wage Coalition members, and in particular, the Rainforest Alliance, FairTrade International, Social Accountability International, and Sustainable Agriculture Network have been working in close collaboration with workers representatives, farms, the World Banana Forum, IDH, supply chain actors, governments, and others to better understand wage gaps in banana supply chains and pilot holistic approaches to close them.
In-Progress Activities
In-Progress Activity
Dominican Republic Living Wage Update
The Global Living Wage Coalition is working to finalize an inflation update for the Dominican Republic Rural Living Wage Benchmark to adjust for inflation and any changes in mandatory deductions from pay. We will send a notification and update the data available on the Living Wage Web Portal as soon as this information is released.
In-Progress Activity
Colombia Living Wage Benchmark Study: Rural Urabá Region
The Living Wage Benchmark work in Colombia is supported by Fairtrade International through funding and facilitation of the study. The study will cover banana producing areas of Colombia, likely with two separate benchmarks to reflect discrepancies in cost of living across different areas of the country where bananas are produced. Our second benchmark is expected to cover the Rural Urabá Region using the agriculture industry as context. This study launched in April 2018 and is expected to be completed and validated before year end 2018.
In-Progress Activity
Rural Ecuador Living Wage Benchmark Study
The Living Wage Benchmark work in Ecuador is supported by Fairtrade International, the World Banana Forum, and IDH through funding and facilitation of the study. The study will cover banana and coffee producing areas of Ecuador as part of a larger prject to address living wage in banana supply chains. This study is complete and in stakeholder validation.
In-Progress Activity
Belize Living Wage Benchmark Study
The Living Wage Benchmark work in Belize is supported by Rainforest Alliance, IDH, and Fyffes through funding and facilitation of the study, and as part of a larger project to address living wage in banana supply chains. The study will cover banana producing areas of Belize, using the agriculture industry and banana sector as context. This study launched in April 2018 and is expected to be completed and validated before year end 2018.
In-Progress Activity
Colombia Living Wage Benchmark Study: Rural Santa Marta Region
The Living Wage Benchmark work in Colombia is supported by Fairtrade International through funding and facilitation of the study. The study will cover banana producing areas of Colombia, likely with two separate benchmarks to reflect discrepancies in cost of living across different areas of the country where bananas are produced. Our first benchmark is expected to cover the Rural Santa Marta Region using the agriculture industry as context. This study launched in April 2018 and is expected to be completed and validated before year end 2018.
Partners
Work in Bananas wouldn't be possible without the support of our partners:
