<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cost-of-inequity-how-inequity-persists-in-american-daily-life-2021-6"></a><div type="image" title="closed store" height="683" width="910" msid="83989365" hostid="261"></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Lack of access to fresh <keyword id="6181" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Food">food</keyword> is no accident - it's a multi-faceted issue that hinges on power. </li><li>Looking at the state of Indiana as an example, racial discrimination and years of divestment have contributed to worsening food access conditions for specific communities. </li><li>And the people most hurt by this issue are those with limited access to driving, such as the elderly and individuals with disabilities. </li></ul>The Peace Garden at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Indianapolis has a busy springtime schedule on the books, with upcoming events that invite volunteers to prune, till, and plant vegetables such as collards, lettuce, and tomatoes. That fresh produce will go to food pantries on the Indiana capital's east side. Last year saw a crop of 7,000 pounds of vegetables.Joan Trendell, a retired public servant who now runs the garden for the church, told Insider that volunteers at the garden are a diverse bunch. Some of the women who frequently get their hands dirty planting and picking produce are over 80."They're just amazing," Trendell said.But older people also make up many recipients of the garden's bounty."The older folks that may be individuals living together or close by to each other," Trendell told Insider. "They kind of support each other. You also might see someone come in that's helping out a family member. They can receive theirs, as a proxy."According to the <a href="https://www.ncoa.org/article/get-the-facts-on-snap-and-senior-hunger,">National Council on Aging</a>, around 7.3 million older adults are "food insecure" in the US. In 2018, a poll from the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center found that one in five Americans over the age of 65 stopped <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-national-poll-inability-to-drive-lack-of-transportation-options-are-major-concerns-for-older-adults-people-with-disabilities-and-caregivers-300761774.html">driving</a>, a key factor that deprives older people of access to grocery stores. The USDA's <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/go-to-the-atlas/">Food Access Atlas</a> tracks stats around food accessibility. Insider's analysis of the atlas found that in Indiana's Marion County - where Indianapolis is located - over 12,000 seniors live a mile away from a grocery store, while over 24,000 live half a mile away.Activists are divided on the role that corporations might play in terms of lessening the issue of food inequality. But the consensus is that a solution isn't simply opening more stores that stock food, as physical distance from supermarkets is just a piece of the problem. The issue around lack of access to nutritious food is also multifaceted and takes on different forms across localities. But the experts who spoke with Insider emphasized the risks that older adults in particular face in losing access to quality food.<h2>'A hollowing out'</h2>When it comes to food access, Indiana is a middling state - not among the very worst, and certainly far from the best. But the Hoosier State does offer a few key glimpses at how varied a problem lack of access to healthy food can manifest.St. Albans isn't the only Indianapolis organization taking a hands-on approach to fighting food inequality. The Flanner House is an Indianapolis social-services agency that dates to 1903. Nowadays, it runs a veritable fresh-food distribution machine, including a two-acre farm that grows 50,000 pounds of produce a year, a small, 2,800-square-foot store called Cleo's Bodega &amp; Cafe, and even a mobile bodega created from two buses retrofitted with refrigeration technology."Part of our motivation is not just to be able to make food available to folks, but to hold this up as a model that is affordable and sustainable in moderate and low-income neighborhoods," Brandon Cosby, the executive director of the Flanner House, told Insider.Indiana University's data-tracking program SAVI<a href="https://www.savi.org/feature_report/getting-groceries-food-access-across-groups-neighborhoods-and-time/"> found</a> that as of 2019, there were 208,000 people living with limited access to supermarkets in Indianapolis<a href="https://www.savi.org/feature_report/getting-groceries-food-access-across-groups-neighborhoods-and-time/"> alone</a>, including 10,500 without car or bus access. In Indianapolis, limited access to traditional supermarkets is largely a relic of racist policy and business practices."This is driven by racism, disinvestment, bad policy, and bad corporate practice," Cosby said. "We don't talk about food deserts - the desert is a naturally occurring phenomenon. There is nothing natural about this, so we call it what it is 'food apartheid.'" According to Daniel Knudsen, a professor with the Food Institute at Indiana University who studies <keyword id="147608" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="food-insecurity">food insecurity</keyword> among low-income older people, the situation is somewhat different in the rural Indiana areas that he focuses on, such as Crawford County and Greene County. "There are big accessibility issues, but they're not related in any way to race - they're related to poverty amongst a largely white population," he said. "It has to do with the hollowing out of rural America due to industrial agriculture."According to Knudsen, the populations in these places have shifted away from towns as small, 3,000-acre family farms have gone under. The result is "massive disinvestment in these rural areas."When there are only so many families, large grocery stores are not going to stay, Knudsen said. "So what you see is a proliferation of dollar stores and relatively few grocery stores. And many times those grocery stores do not carry a full line of products."<h2>'They're in serious trouble'</h2>Lack of easy access to supermarkets doesn't affect everyone equally."Older adults and people with disabilities really struggle to access nutritious food when it is not available in their neighborhood," Emily Engelhard, the managing director of thought leadership at Feeding America, told Insider in a statement. "Sometimes they must resort to whatever food is easily available when they are not able to travel long distances, change buses, or spend long periods of time traveling because of their health."In one 2018 study published in<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6227553/#"> Innov Aging</a>, 42% of respondents over 65 said they had difficulty walking 10 blocks and 38% had difficulty climbing stairs, meaning they generally have a hard time getting food home. That same year, Feeding America<a href="https://www.feedingamerica.org/research/senior-hunger-research/senior"> reported</a> that 5.3 million seniors suffered from food insecurity, as well as 4.5 million adults age 50 to 59.And food insecurity in<a href="https://dataindiana.news/tag/food-deserts/"> Indiana</a> predominantly affects those living without car or bus access. Cosby told Insider that the Flanner House has taken more vulnerable residents such as senior citizens into consideration by launching a mobile bodega during the pandemic."We can bring the grocery store to their neighborhood - or to their senior housing community," he said. "They can walk out their front door and be able to get access to those food options."Jessica Minor, the director of programs and assessment from AccessABILITY, a disability rights organization based in Indianapolis, told Insider that food is part of her organization's central mission as well."By working with people with disabilities, there are a few things relating to food that we do on a regular basis for our consumers," Minor said. "We connect them with food pantries, provide them with food directly - for example, during the pandemic we've been able to help them with Instacart and have food delivered - and we systemically advocate for more resources within our community."But Knudsen said that seniors or individuals with disabilities living in rural environments without access to stores can find it even harder than accessing supermarkets. In his experience, many of those communities may be "close-knit," but also often lack the proliferation of food pantries, community and private gardens, and food activism that's flourished in cities like Indianapolis."In rural areas, if seniors don't have a relative or a friend who can drive them, or they don't have delivery, they're in serious trouble," he said. "They become really reliant on taxi services or the goodwill of people at their church who make a point of picking them up once a once a week or so to take them shopping."<h2>Profiting off 'food apartheid'</h2>Dollar stores as a <keyword id="6354851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="retail">retail</keyword> segment have long been considered controversial when it comes to activism around food access. Many of these low-cost stores do stock food but in the form of snacks or items that have been canned or frozen. Knudsen said a shopper might be able to find a meal in a dollar store that ticks off all the relevant USDA<a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/cnpp/usda-food-plans-cost-food-reports"> requirements</a> for its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program."But what's going to happen is you're going to be eating that out of a can," Knudsen said. "On a good day, you're going to be able to eat it by thawing it out."Knudsen said that dollar stores in recent years have "done a better job" of bringing in more frozen fruits, vegetables, and proteins, although he said this isn't a universal push. Dollar General in particular has emphasized its desire to expand frozen and - ultimately - fresh options through its DG Fresh<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dollar-general-dg-fresh-grocery-2020-8"> program</a>. But according to Cosby, these changes are a cynical move to gobble up shoppers' SNAP dollars."It's poverty pimping of the highest order," he said.Then there's the effect that dollar stores can have on the existing retail landscape of a locality. In 2018, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance found that the arrival of a dollar store in a community can cut<a href="https://ilsr.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Dollar_Store_Fact_Sheet.pdf"> annual sales</a> at neighboring supermarkets by 30%. Speaking with<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dollar-general-ceo-todd-vasos-talks-grocery-future-walmart-2021-2"> Insider</a> several months ago, Dollar General's CEO, Todd Vasos, said that his company views both urban and rural areas - the latter of which account for 75% of store locations - as opportunities to expand."We do know that the grocers have moved out years and years ago in these areas," he said. "We started to look years ago into expanding into small towns, and we knew there was that niche to fill."But dollar stores have proliferated over the course of the past 30 years. In terms of its footprint in Indiana, Dollar General expanded to 566 locations in 2020 from 108 in 1994. That's a net gain of 458 stores, according to<a href="https://investor.dollargeneral.com/websites/dollargeneral/English/3100/us-sec-filings.html?years=0&amp;categories=1es=1"> documents</a> from the Securities Exchange Commission. Its major rival, Dollar Tree, went from eight<a href="https://www.dollartreeinfo.com/node/23281/html"> stores</a> in Indiana in 1994 to 348 in 2018.Many activists, like Cosby, want the conversation around food access to move from attracting specific grocery stores into specific communities. In fact, among food-access activists, corporations often end up looking more like part of the problem than the solution. Cosby said that the business model of big-box stores and other major retailers "is not a terribly profitable design," and the emphasis on impulse buying does not make them attractive for poorer areas. As a result, food policy that revolves around an impulse like "we need to get Kroger to open a store here" is not a viable solution. And additional food pantries - which, for Cosby, represent a reduced "quality of life" - are not part of his solution either.Instead, Cosby and the Flanner House are pushing for "food sovereignty," or a community's right to "access to affordable healthy food in a culturally appropriate and responsive way.""What people need is access to affordable, healthy food options," he said.Knudsen added that improving and expanding public transportation - including into rural areas - and bolstering benefits like SNAP could do a lot to minimize food insecurity."Poor people know how to eat correctly," he said. "The problem is they don't have the money. Poor people make the best choices they can with the money they have."Trendell also said that governmental solutions are a key part of lessening food inequality as there's only so much that local groups can fix."We've got to make sure that those federal supports are always still in place because it really is the backbone for making sure people eat," she said.Another way to help seniors who don't drive is to help them get to social events so that they can fight the pandemic of loneliness. He recalled an older woman who attended a focus group that he helped put together on food inequality. The car-less woman had been struggling to make trips to the supermarket to buy food. But she ended up leaving the meeting with a fortified social circle."She made a bunch of friends at the focus group, for crying out loud," he said. "They were, like, 'Oh yeah, you need to come to our church.' That was huge for her."

'Food apartheid' remains a hurdle for millions of Americans, but it severely harms the elderly

<ul class="summary-list"><li>In pre-17th century Europe, desserts were eaten between courses and sugar was rare. Through European colonization, the production of sugar expanded and soon became a main ingredient. </li><li>Here is a variety of traditional and signature desserts from <keyword id="46661" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Around-the-world">around the world</keyword>.</li><li>Desserts in neighboring countries have similarities, but the cultural significance makes each one unique.</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>Following is a transcript of the <keyword id="21654" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="video">video</keyword>. Naja Newell: Many of us know desserts to be the last guilty pleasure after a meal. But did you know that before the 17th century in Europe, what we know as desserts were used to cleanse the palate between courses? In many parts of the world, sugar was a rare and expensive ingredient. It wasn't until colonists generated and expanded the production of sugar fields through slave labor that the price of sugar was lowered. By the mid-17th century, cookbooks dedicated to desserts were published. With many different textures, colors, and flavors, here are some of the best desserts that exist around the world. This sweet treat got its name from the politician Eduardo Gomes, who ran for president of Brazil in the 1940s. Brigadeiros, which were inspired by Gomes' military rank, brigadier, quickly became a popular treat sold by women who supported him at rallies. He lost the election, but the bite-sized treat lives on. It is made with condensed milk, butter, and cocoa powder and covered with chocolate sprinkles. In Nigeria, the act of repeating a word twice is deeply embedded in the culture. It is used for clarity and emphasis. Puff puff is deep-fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar in some cases, and it can be served as both an appetizer and a <keyword id="31573" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="dessert">dessert</keyword>, savory or sweet. When I first think of mochi, I think of the mochi ice cream in boxes sold at Trader Joe's, but that's just the American take on the famous dessert. Mochi is actually a rice cake made from mochigome. This rice becomes glutinous when boiled and doughy when steamed. Water and air are huge factors in the transformation of mochigome to the mochi dessert that we know. Water prevents the mochi from being a sticky mess, and air contributes to the gooey stretch. The word tembleque is associated with the Spanish word temblar, which means to jiggle or tremble. This definitely represents the consistency of this dessert. A coconut pudding, or custard if you wish, templeque is a holiday dessert that has numerous variations throughout Latin America. But no matter where you are, it is best eaten cold. Legend has it that chimney cakes were invented by women in Transylvania during the Mongol invasion in 1241. In order to convince the Mongols that they would outlive them during a stalemate, the women of Transylvania came up with a plan that mixed flour with water wrapped around a wooden stick. This gave the illusion of large portions of bread, but they were in fact hollow on the inside. Starving and disappointed, the Mongols left, and chimney cakes went on to be popular in both Romania and Hungary. This next dessert takes us here to Little Cupcake Bakeshop in New York, home to one of my favorite American desserts. And, no, it is not apple pie. Many people wonder, is red velvet cake simply just chocolate cake with red <keyword id="6181" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Food">food</keyword> dye? And the answer is: not exactly. Though the dessert has cocoa powder as one of the ingredients, it also calls for vinegar and buttermilk. The acidic flavors mixed with the cream-cheese frosting makes for a dessert that is definitely not chocolate cake. The red velvet cake stems back to a marketing ploy by an American food-coloring company. During the Great Depression, in order to boost sales, the Adams Extract company added red food coloring to velvet cake in order to give it the bright, distinct color that we know today. So as demand for the dessert increased, so did their revenue. Banoffee pie is a sweet combination of bananas, toffee, and whipped cream on a thick graham-cracker crust. The word banoffee itself is actually a portmanteau from words banana and toffee. It was invented at a restaurant in Sussex, England, and became world-famous. Yakgwa, meaning "medicinal confection," got its name because honey was known in Korea as healthy medicine. Yakgwa is a deep-fried cookie soaked in honey for six to eight hours. The history of this dessert is tied to special occasions like royal banquets or Chuseok. Though originally enjoyed mostly by the upper class because of the honey, it is commonly eaten today and still served for Chuseok. Soaked in a series of three milks, evaporated, condensed, and heavy cream or whole milk, this dessert is incredibly simple yet deliciously complex. Although people are not entirely sure where the dessert originated, the main consensus is Mexico. It was Nestlé that took the tres leches cake mainstream by featuring the recipe on cans of evaporated, condensed, and cream milk. Despite the marketing scheme, tres leches developed its own cultural significance in families all across Latin America. Stroopwafel is a sweet, caramellike filling sandwiched between two thin waffle cookies and was invented in the Dutch city of Gouda. Gerard Kamphuisen, who is credited as the inventor, took leftover bread crumbs and mixed them with a thick syrup. Warm up the caramel by letting the stroopwafel sit on a cup of coffee or tea before consuming, and you won't be sorry. A Filipino word meaning "mix-mix," halo-halo is a popular dessert in the Philippines made up of shaved ice, condensed milk, and fun sweet toppings like fruit, jellies, beans, ube ice cream, or sweet custard. This sweet treat is derived from the Japanese dessert kakigori. With the mix of Japanese occupation before World War II and the ice plant built by Americans in the Philippines in 1902, it was only a matter of time before Filipinos redesigned the ice treat to make what is known today as halo-halo. The origins of this dessert are a bit murky, with the Catalans saying their crema Catalana preceded France's crème brûlée as well as Britain saying its trinity cream was the first. However, thanks to chef François Massialot, France has the oldest recipe in writing, dating back to 1691. Crème brûlée is a custard topped with sugar that gets torched to create a caramelized, hardened top layer. Unlike crème brûlée, where the curdling, or clumping, of eggs in the custard is the sign of a mishap, baked custard welcomes the slight cooking of the egg. Instead of including only the egg yolk, like most custards, baked custard includes the entire egg and can be served warm or cool, based on preference. Did you know that the correct way to eat a Belgian waffle is with your hands? The Belgian waffle, originally called Brussels waffle, is one of two types of waffles that originated in Belgium. Americans know the Belgian waffle as a delicious breakfast food, but not many of us are actually eating the waffle as it was intended. Belgian waffles are not to be eaten with a knife and fork, but rather with your hands. And no syrup. Maybe fruit or whipped cream at most. Maurice Vermersch was the one who changed the name from Brussels waffle to Belgian, because Americans did not know where Brussels was. Partly influenced by British colonial occupation, this dessert actually has health benefits. Currants are high in fiber; manganese, which helps strengthen bones; potassium; and copper, which helps with metabolism. Trinidadians eat the rolls casually as an afternoon snack or sometimes breakfast. This dessert actually is not pudding at all. Malva pudding, like many other desserts, has an unknown origin story. Some say Dutch, while others say South African. Similar to toffee pudding, its warm, spongy texture coated in a warm cream sauce is a recipe for deliciousness. And how can I forget the key ingredient? The apricot jam. The cake's name is derived from the liquor of the Black Forest mountain region, known as Schwarzwälder Kirschwasser. The liquor is distilled from tart cherries. Black Forest cake was invented in 1915 by confectioner Josef Keller. Some people suggest that the look of the cake is a visual pun on the traditional bollenhut worn by the women in the Black Forest. As popular as this dessert is in India, according to food historian and former chef Michael Krondl, it's derived from a fritter belonging to Central Asian Turkic invaders. Folklore in India says that gulab jamun was accidentally created by a Persian priest and presented to the people as a royal dessert. Although it shares similarities with the Arabic luqaimat, a staple during Ramadan, gulab jamun is unique because it's covered in a rose-water-scented syrup. As someone who took out loans to pay for college, the story of this next dessert really hit home. If you're searching for an easy, no-bake dessert option, look no further. The Nanaimo bar consists of three layers. The base is made up of wafer, nuts, and coconut crumbs, the middle is custard, and the top layer is chocolate ganache. The bar is named after the city of Nanaimo in southwest Canada. The earliest recording of the name "Nanaimo bar" was in 1953. Susan Mendelson popularized the dessert and commercialized it in the 1970s to help pay her tuition. She then opened up her own café, The Lazy Gourmet, selling the dessert. Khao niaow ma muang is most likely to have originated in northern Thailand. This traditional Thai dessert is made with glutinous rice, coconut milk, a pinch of salt, sugar, and mangoes garnished with toasted sesame seeds or split mung beans. The best time to eat this dessert is in the peak mango season in Thailand, April through June. Translated from Italian as "pick me up," this espresso- and alcohol-infused dessert is sure to do a bit of that and more. Pastry chef Loli Linguanotto was identified as the creator in the '70s. However, Italian food writers discovered evidence that the same ingredients were first combined and called "tirime su" by chef Mario Cosolo in the '50s. This, of course, sparked much controversy, but regardless, the origin remains in Italy. Baklava's origins are still debatable. Both Turkey and Greece claim ownership of the dessert. In Turkey, baklava is traditionally made with pistachios, walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts, and in 2008, the Turkish patent office registered a certificate for Antep baklava, or baklava with pistachios. And in Greece, traditionally, baklava is made with 40 filo sheets to represent the 40 days of Lent. Similar to the famous baklava, galaktoboureko is filled with semolina custard and covered with several layers of filo. It's soaked in a syrup, making it a sweet, light dessert that can take the shape of rolls or squares. Either way, it's undisputably delicious. Giving up my sugar addiction for Lent was my go-to as a child. But for Dominicans who observe Lent and/or have eaten this as a child, know that this dessert will teleport you back to your childhood. Habichuelas con dulce is a signature dish in the Dominican Republic during Lent. Traditionally, the treat is garnished with galletas de leche, or tiny round cookies engraved with a cross. It consists of red kidney beans, sweet potatoes, milk, cinnamon, and sometimes raisins. In the 18th century, monks and nuns in Lisbon had leftover yolk after using egg whites to stretch their clothing. Legend has it that the monks used this leftover yolk to create delicious desserts and potentially sold these desserts to help them in their times of financial hardship. This financial hardship eventually led the monks to selling their recipe to a bakery in the capitol of Lisbon in the 1830s. In its peak season, this bakery today makes up to 50,000 tarts a day. Since the time of the vikings, skyr has remained relatively unchanged. Its recipe has been passed down between women from generation to generation. What separates skyr from other yogurt is its consistency, which is thick in comparison to the yogurt you may be used to eating with fruit and granola. Skyr comes in many different flavors and has health benefits that may make you want to ditch your yogurt. Sopa borracha, which translates to drunk soup, will not get you drunk, nor is it a soup. It is a delicious sponge cake drenched in a liquid mixture of boiled raisins and prunes with cinnamon, sugar, rum, sherry, and lemon zest. This is a festive dessert and is served during special occasions. I don't think any dessert has as much controversy as the Australian lamington, or is it the New Zealand Wellington? What started out as an April Fool's joke by The Guardian has sparked much controversy over whether this famous dessert belongs to Australia or New Zealand. To clear speculation, the sponge cake covered in chocolate and coated in coconut shavings is Australian. But the controversy over whether jam should be included may not get settled anytime soon. Syrniki, or fried quark pancakes, date back to Russian texts from the 10th century. Quark is a dairy product that is created by warming soured milk until it curdles. It is dried and crushed, rolled in flour, and then fried to create a crispy exterior and soft interior. Top it with sour cream and fruit, and you may just have yourself a syrniki. Picarones are a mix of sweet potatoes and squash, flour, and salt shaped and fried with syrup on top. Enslaved African cooks who were brought to Peru by the Spaniards created this delicious treat inspired by the Spanish buñuelos. Though the spelling, pronunciation, and exact recipe of this dessert changes throughout the region, kanafeh is traditionally a favorite amongst people in the Middle East. Think shredded phyllo dough or semolina dough with melted cheese, cream, or nuts topped with sweet rose-water syrup. This stacked dessert features eight thin layers of dough with dulce de leche sandwiched between, topped with whipped Italian meringue. This dessert gets its name from alfajores, Argentinian shortbreads that the dessert resembles. The three colorful layers of che ba mau are the yellow mung beans, red beans, and the green agar jelly mixed with pandan, which gives the jelly a chewy taste similar to a gummy bear. Topped with crushed ice, condensed milk, and coconut milk, this dessert is not as sweet as you may think, but it is refreshing and perfect for the hot days in Vietnam. Though many of these desserts have unknown, dark, or legend-like histories, each place has really made it its own. Our memories associated with these desserts make each one unique to us. So go and create a new, exciting memory by trying any one of these desserts, and let us know how it was in the comments below. Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-dessert-looks-like-around-the-world-2020-4">Insider</a>

What signature desserts look like in 33 countries around the world.

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/580e6da0b28a644d008b4591-711/how-us-sanctions-targeted-a-belize-banana-farmer-and-hurt-an-economy-2016-8.jpg" alt="The price of bananas is displayed on a digital price tag at a 365 by Whole Foods Market grocery store ahead of its opening day in Los Angeles, U.S., May 24, 2016. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="The price of bananas is displayed on a digital price tag at a 365 by Whole Foods Market grocery store ahead of its opening day in Los Angeles" />Thomson ReutersThe price of bananas is displayed on a digital price tag at a 365 by Whole Foods Market grocery store ahead of its opening day in Los Angeles</div></div></div>The banana is the world's most popular fruit crop, with <a href="http://www.fao.org/economic/worldbananaforum/statistics/en/">over 100 million metric tons produced annually</a> in over 130 <a href="http://www.fao.org/docrep/019/i3627e/i3627e.pdf">tropical and subtropical countries</a>.Edible bananas are the result of a genetic accident in nature that created the seedless fruit we enjoy today.Virtually all the bananas sold across the Western world belong to the <a href="http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/251899/Banana-growing-guide-cavendish-bananas-1.pdf">so-called Cavendish subgroup</a> of the species and are <a href="http://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcm191">genetically nearly identical</a>.These bananas are sterile and <a href="http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/251898/Banana-growing-guide-cavendish-bananas-Complete.pdf">dependent on propagation via cloning</a>, either by using suckers and cuttings taken from the underground stem or through modern tissue culture.The familiar bright yellow Cavendish banana is ubiquitous in supermarkets and fruit bowls, but it is in imminent danger. The vast worldwide monoculture of genetically identical plants leaves the Cavendish <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1005197">intensely vulnerable to disease outbreaks</a>.Fungal diseases severely devastated the banana industry once in history and it could soon happen again if we do not resolve the cause of these problems. Plant scientists, including us, are working out the genetics of wild banana varieties and banana pathogens as we try to prevent a Cavendish crash.<h2>The cautionary tale of 'Big Mike'</h2>One of the most prominent examples of genetic vulnerability comes from the banana itself. Up until the 1960s, Gros Michel, or "Big Mike," was the prime variety grown in commercial plantations. Big Mike was so popular with consumers in the West that the banana industry established ever larger monocultures of this variety. Thousands of hectares <a href="http://www.apsnet.org/publications/apsnetfeatures/Pages/PanamaDiseasePart1.aspx">of tropical forests</a> in Latin America were converted into <a href="http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/299017/banana-by-dan-koeppel/9780452290082">vast Gros Michel plantations</a>.But Big Mike's popularity led to its doom, when a pandemic whipped through these plantations during the 1950s and '60's. A fungal disease called Fusarium wilt or Panama disease nearly wiped out the Gros Michel and brought the global banana export industry to the <a href="http://www.agriculturedefensecoalition.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/3T_2000_Banana_Destructive_Panama_Disease_2000.pdf">brink of collapse</a>. A soilborne pathogen was to blame: The fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense (Foc) <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-04-15-0101-RVW">infected the plants' root and vascular system</a>. Unable to transport water and nutrients, the plants wilted and died.But the Cavendish unfortunately has its own weaknesses - most prominently susceptibility to <a href="http://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/abs/10.1094/PDIS.2003.87.3.208">a disease called Black Sigatoka</a>. The fungus Pseudocercospora fijiensis attacks the plants' leaves, causing cell death that affects photosynthesis and leads to a reduction in fruit production and quality. If Black Sigatoka is left uncontrolled, <a href="http://doi.org//10.1111/j.1364-3703.2010.00672.x">banana yields can decline</a>by <a href="http://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/intropp/lessons/fungi/ascomycetes/Pages/BlackSigatoka.aspx">35 to 50 percent</a>.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53c92ca56bb3f70540b808b7-1280/1280px-bananas.jpg" alt="yellow bananas fruit produce" data-mce-source="Wikimedia Commons" data-link="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bananas.jpg" /><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bananas.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></div></div></div>Cavendish growers currently manage Black Sigatoka through a combination of pruning infected leaves and <a href="http://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2009.828.16">applying fungicides</a>. Yearly, it can take 50 or more applications of chemicals to control the disease.Such heavy use of fungicides has negative impacts on the environment and the occupational health of the banana workers, and increases the costs of production.It also helps select for survival the strains of the fungus with <a href="http://www.frac.info/working-group/banana-group">higher levels of resistance to these chemicals</a>: As the resistant strains become more prevalent, the disease gets harder to control over time.To further aggravate the situation, Cavendish is also now under attack from <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-04-15-0101-RVW">a recently emerged strain of Fusarium oxysporum</a>, known as Tropical Race 4 (TR4). First identified in the early 1990s in Taiwan, Malaysia and Indonesia, TR4 has since spread to many Southeast Asian countries and <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-12-14-1356-PDN">on into the Middle East</a> and <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-09-13-0954-PDN">Africa</a>. If TR4 makes it to Latin America and the Caribbean region, the export banana industry in that part of the world could be in big trouble.Cavendish varieties have shown <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/504195a">little if any resistance against TR4</a>. Growers are relying on temporary solutions - trying to <a href="http://www.promusa.org/Fusarium+wilt">prevent it</a> from entering new regions, using clean planting materials and limiting the transfer of potentially infected soil between farms.Black Sigatoka and Panama disease both cause serious production losses and are difficult to control. With the right monitoring in place to rapidly intervene and halt their spread, the risks and damage imposed by these diseases can be considerably reduced, as has been <a href="http://www.musalit.org/seeMore.php?id=14394">recently shown in Australia</a>. But current practices don't provide the durable solution that's urgently needed.<h2>Getting started on banana genetic research</h2>If there's a lesson to be learned from the sad history of Gros Michel, it's that reliance on a large and genetically uniform monoculture is a risky strategy that is prone to failure. To reduce the vulnerability to diseases, we need more genetic diversity in our cultivated bananas.Over a thousand species of banana have been recorded in the wild. Although most do not have the desired agronomic characteristics - such as high yields of seedless, nonacidic fruits with long shelf life - that would make them a direct substitute for the Cavendish, they are an untapped genetic resource. Scientists could search within them for resistance genes and other desirable traits to use in engineering and breeding programs.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/534bfc486da8110863f97345-2400/ap110627021758.jpg" alt="banana crop laborer rain" data-mce-source="Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP" />Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP</div></div></div>To date, though, there's been little effort and insufficient funding for collecting, protecting, characterizing and <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.897.4">utilizing wild banana genetic material</a>. Consequently, while almost every other crop used for food production has been significantly improved through plant breeding over the last century, the banana industry has yet to benefit from genetics and plant breeding.But we have started taking the first steps. We now know the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature11241">genome sequences of the banana</a> and the fungi that <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0095543">cause Fusarium wilt</a> and <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1005904">Sigatoka</a>. These studies helped illuminate some of the molecular mechanisms by which these fungal pathogens cause disease in the banana. That knowledge provides a basis for <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1005904">identifying disease-resistant genes</a> in wild and cultivated bananas.Researchers <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1005876">now have the tools</a> to <a href="https://www.google.co.in/patents/WO2011005090A1?cl=en">identify resistance genes</a> in wild bananas <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1002910107">or other plant species</a>. Then they can use classical plant breeding or genetic engineering to transfer those genes into desired cultivars. Scientists can also use these tools to further study the dynamics and evolution of banana pathogens in the field, and monitor changes in their resistance to fungicides.Availability of the latest tools and detailed genome sequences, coupled with long-term visionary research in genetics, engineering and plant breeding, can help us keep abreast of the pathogens that are currently menacing the Cavendish banana.Ultimately we need to increase the pool of genetic diversity in cultivated bananas so we're not dependent on single clones such as the Cavendish or the Gros Michel before it. Otherwise we remain at risk of history repeating itself.<script type="text/javascript" src="https://theconversation.com/javascripts/lib/content_tracker_hook.js" id="theconversation_tracker_hook" data-counter="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/64206/count?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" async="async"></script> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/autonomous-garden-sun-brightest-robot-innovation-art-2016-8">This intelligent garden rolls through the city find the sunlight</a></h3> <div> <div> <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="k0ZnEwNTE6lBlKTMmLVZKAreNcnfGGPp" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> <script> if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; } RunFunctions.push(function() { var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'k0ZnEwNTE6lBlKTMmLVZKAreNcnfGGPp',{ autoplay: 'false' }); }); </script> <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div> </div> <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script> </div>

One of the most popular fruit crops in the world could be decimated by disease

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/46426864.cms" /> The country has woken up to a new budget, and a new way of doing things that we generally do with money. This would probably be a serious indicator of how things would progress for the next four years. The NDA government has its vision set pretty clear on how and when things would change, and also for whom. 
 
It takes more than just a cursory glance to read the budget between the lines and understand what it means to every section of the society. While some of the redundant and dormant schemes have got less money, and health didn’t get a major boost; the country seems to be getting ready to roll out red carpet for investors. The weatherman says India is getting ready to take a huge leap and these are small steps that can ensure that we have tested the waters before going for a long swim. 
 
For once, this budget presented a different way of doing things from what we have been used to, since the last so many decades. There are no big ticket schemes that are to be dreamt of, instead lots of indicators that are going to keep India motivated to walk the distance to find the light that’s been peering at the end of the tunnel. 
 
Read the fine print and you will understand when the wealth tax was removed this time, it was not to help the rich become richer and the poor remain poorer. Instead, a surcharge of 2% has been introduced to cover those who are earning more than Rs 1 crore per annum. And, mind you, the punishment for having avoided tax just got more stringent. Now that there has been a talk of black money, there is also a sop offered to those who have stashed money in the comfy environs of Swiss bank. It is to declare and bring back their money in a one-time-opportunity or, face jail with chances of spending the next 10 years in dark cells and bunkers if convicted of the offence. 
 
The budget is surely a game changer. Well-known economist and vice-chairman of NITI Ayog Arvind Panagariya said the budget had moved on, on a lot of important issues. According to him, salient features are the most prominent aspects of the budget, but these are missing from the popular list of discussions among commentators of economy. Bankruptcy law, for instance is a huge step forward, but this has not yet reached the discussion forums. A modern touch to this law can change a lot of things for the country and its people. 
 
Whether the budget boosts growth through consumption expenditure or investment rising is something that needs to be seen. Overall, there are aspects that are going to be the most impactful features of this year’s budget. Infrastructure is another major plank in the budget that would bring a relief to the workers in the organized sector. ESI and EPF will be major game changers which would play a major role in boosting the environment in organised sector. 
 Referring to the salient points of <keyword id="2549811" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Budget-2015">Budget 2015</keyword>, <keyword id="245593" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mukesh-Butani">Mukesh Butani</keyword>, Chairman, BMR Advisors says the budget seems as focused as it could be. 
“From a policy standpoint, the FM has engineered the Budget around the Prime Minister’s initiatives such as ‘Make in India’, ‘Swacch Bharat’, and ‘Skill in India’. The focus on black money and curing the economy off this menace seems to have taken centre stage. The impetus to Infrastructure, Agriculture and Education sectors is laudable though the much expected big bang reforms are yet in the waiting,” says Butani. 
 Budget may have raised heckles among the rich, but integrated middle class and senior citizens to some solace. “The tax policy messaging in the Budget is clear though the fine print would tell us more on what is proposed. Promoting foreign investment and assuring foreign investors of a stable and non-adversarial tax regime continues with proposals for rationalization of indirect transfers, non-applicability of MAT to FIIs, deferment of <keyword id="6533263" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="GAAR">GAAR</keyword>, relaxation of sourcing rules on account of fund managers in India, and reduction in royalty and technical service fee rates. The Budget also contains many benefits to the elderly and the middle class, though the super-rich have some more reason to frown,” Butani adds. 
 He further says, “FM has been most conservative in tax collection targets. He has estimated tax buoyancy of 10, 12 % in corporate tax and individual tax collections. He has been most bullish on <keyword id="6355686" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Service-tax">service tax</keyword> buoyancy at 24 % due to pruning of exceptions and raising the service tax rate to 14%. He has infact raised the effective revenue deficit target from 1.8% to 2 % before returning to effective revenue deficit of nil in 17-18. I think this is not just a rational tax collection targets, but it would relieve field revenues officers to not resort to coercive measures for tax collections or make high pitched assessments. I also feel that given the growth predictions, FM will collect more than what he has estimated and his revenue deficit target seems to be like under promise and over deliver.” 
 
If this anticipation turns out to be right, then Budget 2015 will have more red than blue in its cheer.

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