At Plantaciones del Norte, August 23, 2024, Meeting Room of Plantaciones del Norte, Mao, Dominican Republic.

In the Dominican Republic, Plantaciones del Norte assessed the carbon footprint of its banana plantations using the CoolFarmTool, selected for its ease of use, clear instructions, and adaptability to the agricultural sector and the pedoclimatic context of the Dominican Republic. Prior to the workshop, technical staff were sent a list of required information for each plantation to prepare in advance.

The assessment covered seven areas: production data, soil characteristics, inputs, energy consumption, irrigation, carbon sequestration, and transport, focusing on on-farm activities within plantation boundaries. Results showed carbon footprints ranging from 0.21 to 0.59 kg CO2e per kilogram of bananas. According to the FAO, although bananas are an important product, only a few carbon footprint analyses have been published, with results varying based on methodology and data, from 0.324 kg to 1.124 kg of CO2e per kilogram of bananas (FAO, 2024).

The primary emission sources were energy consumption (70%), waste management (20%), and fertilization (11%). Plantations stored an average of 4% of their emissions, though this is likely an underestimate due to ancient forests acting as carbon sinks. The process helped identify emission sources and initiated discussions on strategies for reducing them.