10,000 Plantains and Counting

A worker harvests plantains with a machete

We recently surpassed 10,000 plantains sold from our operations in Darien. Typically they are sold by the racimo, or bunch, for between $3-$7, usually within one of the communities where we work.

Harvesting is hard work, consisting of cutting the racimo off the plantain stalk, hauling it to the collection point, and loading them into sacks for transport to the nearby communities. 

Plantain production should continue to scale through the rest of 2014, with harvests from the Kiva-funded plantain projects starting around September. While sales and plantain prices in the communities have been steady, we're developing relationships with small supermarkets and co-ops in the area to be able to move large quantities of plantains with better pricing.

Tool to Track Forest Changes

Forest loss in Panama shown in pink

Last week the World Resources Institute launched the Global Forest Watch website, a mapping application that tracks forest changes in real time. It's a great tool for those involved in sustainable forest management, policymakers, and buyers of tropical timber.