The grocery store banana as we know it is a monoculture, which means that from Tokyo to Tulsa nearly everyone eats the same variety. That lack of diversity makes the plant incredibly vulnerable, and it’s facing an existential threat in the form of a devastating fungus. The cure may be growing in an office park in North Carolina. Featuring: Bradley George, Reporter at WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio Matt DiLeo, VP of Product Development at Elo Life Systems Andrew Zaleski, Contributor at Bloomberg Businessweek Links: Read Andrew’s deep dive into the worldwide race to save the banana for Bloomberg Businessweek here. You can find a transcript of the episode here. Donate: The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donation.
