Delicious, nutritious, and budget-friendly to boot, the humble banana is the world's favourite fruit. Estimates suggest that around 100 billion bananas are consumed each year, with the global industry worth many billions of dollars as a result.

But the future of the beloved fruit could be in jeopardy, with disease and climate change putting the most widely-grown variety at serious risk.

Read on to get an overview of the global banana market, unpeel the history of the humble fruit, and discover what scientists are doing to prevent the potential extinction of the much-loved staple.  

All dollar amounts in US dollars.