Ripe banana

Could bananas be under threat from climate change? We know how popular this fruit is – 55 million tonnes of Cavendish bananas, the ones you see in your local market, are grown globally. But the risk that agricultural practices pose is clear. We have varieties that grow fast and give maximum yields, but they are vulnerable because of their limited genetic diversity. A pest, disease, or a change in weather patterns where they grow could wipe out an entire species.