Europe's gone bananas (ctd)

The saga continues! Turns out, Belgium is not the only anomaly on the European continent when it comes to bananas… The BBC, always running the extra mile to inform us about the latest edge-cutting news, has a new scoop for this blog: Iceland is Europe's biggest banana producing country! Yes, you got that right - Iceland. Apparently the volcanic fumes coming out of the ground can be converted into energy and heat for the bananas to grow in greenhouses…

Ok, maybe Iceland is not Europe's biggest banana producing country. Certainly not if we're to believe the FAO - zero production. Now, that's not entirely true, they do grow bananas there. Just search for it on YouTube and you'll find a dozen or so informational videos on the topic. Yes, in Icelandic.

Is it such an odd idea, for people in Iceland to grow bananas? If you think of it, actually it is not. It might even be more sustainable than importing them from Ecuador or Costa Rica. You're using thermal energy, which would have gone lost otherwise. You don't have to exploit the local farmers for your products to stay competitive on the global markets. You don't have to ship them all across the globe.

So, if you live in Iceland, my advice would be: go for it! You might even want to export some to the rest of Europe, and beat Belgium as Europe's biggest banana exporter.