Together with livestock raising, banana production in Costa Rica is responsible for the destruction of forests and for other serious environmental damage. This process was accelerated by the Banana Expansion Decree, issued by Luis Alberto Monge's administration in 1985, which transformed the production and commercialization of bananas in Costa Rica.

This decree brought in new transnational and national companies. Thus began what environmental organizations called "uncontrolled banana expansion", fully accelerating aggressive acts against nature, such that the clearing of entire forests caused serious harm to a variety of species and plants.The magnitude of this process is evidenced by the fact that Costa Rica doubled its banana production in less than 7 years, up to 103 million boxes in 1994.Worker exploitation reached one of its highest levels in the history of the region. Thousands of Nicaraguans arrived to banana plantations, and were even more greatly exploited than Costa Rican workers.The situation, which had become intolerable, caused the Catholic Church of Limon to issue a pastoral letter on December 25, 1989 entitled, "Uncontrolled banana expansion". This letter strongly denounced the problematic unleashed by banana plantation expansion.Numerous organizations working in the Atlantic Zone felt compelled to respond to the church's call, and in June of 1992, a large regional forum was held with the participation of unionists, ecologists, campesinos, indigenous peoples, and religious leaders belonging to diverse organizations.In this Forum, the banana problematic was analyzed as well as the pastoral letter from the Catholic Church. After three days several agreements were reached; the most important of which was to create a permanent forum known thereafter as the Emaús Forum.Since that date, the Emaús Forum has been working in defense of ecology and human rights on the banana plantations in Costa Rica’s Atlantic Zone. These efforts generate an encounter between different organizations - each working independently - such that the identification and confrontation of the banana problematic assumes a more global and coordinated perspective.

To support the efforts of organizations, which search for a system of banana production in harmony with nature.

To fight to defend the environment from banana production.

To denounce all attacks and violations committed against the environment.

To develop training programs which raise a consciousness on the importance of organic production.

To coordinate with different organizations to find mechanisms which allow for the elimination of agrochemicals from banana plantations.

To build community awareness on the importance of everyone's involvement in the fight to defend nature.

To coordinate with national and international organizations such that together we can work towards a system of production which respects nature.

To research different issues related to organic agriculture.

. To create publications which support the work of organizations in the communities.

Ecology:

To support union efforts on banana plantations, especially their struggle for the freedom to organize.

To denounce violations committed against workers on banana plantations and loading docks.

To accompany Nicaraguan migrants and the Guaymi people from Panama in their struggle to defend their rights, through member organizations of the Emaús Forum, Likewise, to make Costa Rican society aware of this problematic.

To denounce violations committed against indigenous peoples and peasants in the Atlantic Zone.

To investigate violations of the right to make denunciations.

To create publications dealing with different aspects of the lives of banana plantation workers.

Coordination:

To serve as an arena for coordination, analysis, reflection, and action on the banana problematic for all member organizations of the Emaús Forum.

To develop different actions with national and international organizations in the search for the respect of ecology and human rights on banana plantations.

To serve as a communication link for all those fighting for organic production.

To support the efforts of national and international organizations in the search for a more just banana production market.

3. THE CURRENT BANANA PROBLEMATIC

The current banana situation is not so different from that which was denounced by the pastoral letter in 1989. The denunciations of the Emaús Forum, both at the national and international level, have caused the companies to take measures to alter production methods. On some plantations, the plastic bags and packthreads are collected. Other slight changes have also been noted in housing, and the banks of some rivers, which had been razed by the companies themselves, are reforested. Nevertheless, these are minimal changes in comparison to the magnitude of the problem. All plantations continue to use all types of agrochemicals, spraying by air continues to affect inhabitants, and workers still suffer the effects of the toxins.

Some companies, conscious that their economic interests could be affected by growing consumer awareness of this problem, are launching campaigns in banana buying countries in an attempt to make people believe they are introducing great production changes, and that they are now "nature's friends".

We at the Emaús Forum wish that this were the case. Unfortunately, it is not, and it is our responsibility to denounce the situation. More precisely, we believe that the motivation of these campaigns (in addition to the immediate economic motivation) is to halt the efforts of organizations like the Emaús Forum, realized in an attempt to introduce social and environmental issues to banana production:

The labor situation is the area where least progress has been made by banana producing companies. The imposition of Solidarismo continues, the right to collective hiring was eliminated, and it is totally forbidden to be a union member or to discuss union issues on a banana plantation. For this reason, firing and black lists continue to exist. That is, workers lack the freedom to organize, in blatant disregard of the Constitution and its laws.

Sexual harassment and discriminatory measures against women continue to exist, such as that which occurs in housing assignments.

We at the Emaús Forum are aware that the struggle to find a system of banana production that respects nature and human rights is not easy in a country like Costa Rica. Nevertheless, we are not going to withdraw from a fight we have been waging for 4 years. Rather, each day we become stronger in our search for an alternative method of banana production, one, which does not kill the earth, water, animals, plants and people.