Assessing benefits and costs of commercial banana production in the Philippines

TR Number

Date

2003

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Laguna, Philippines: University of the Philippines Los Baños. Institute of Strategic Planning and Policy Studies

Abstract

The Philippine banana industry is currently one of the top agricultural export earners. The increasing demand worldwide has resulted in greater expansion of area planted to banana, including those in environmentally critical places. Current high chemical input technologies used in banana production have been documented to have significant environmental and public health costs. In this paper, we assess the social costs and private benefits of banana production by commercial growers. We used primary data in Bukidnon to argue that government policies can provide incentives and promote environmental stewardship to achieve a net positive outcome from banana production.

Description

Keywords

Deforestation, Income generation, Soil degradation, Environmental impacts, International trade, Local policy, Tropical zones, Pesticide poisoning, Pest management, Economic impacts, Health impacts, Water pollution, Exports, Bananas, Horticulture, Environmental degradation, The Philippines, Costa Rica, Environmental stewardship, Organic waste, Ecosystem Governance

Citation

ISSPS Working Paper no. 03-03