Dole began replanting its existing banana fields in 1992 as part of a commitment to improve production yields and enable sustainable agriculture.

Unlike conventional banana cultivation, which avoids replanting for as long as possible (even up to 25 years), Dole’s cultivation approach seeks not only to replace old plants with new plants, but to rejuvenate the soil through deep plowing to allow the young plant to grow taller, healthier and more productive. Dole’s deep plowing reaches as deep as three feet, unlike most plowing techniques, which merely turn the soil surface. In addition to bananas, in the tropics Dole uses this deep plowing technique for pineapples and asparagus.