[MPWG] Moosli in Florida

[Cafesombra at aol.com]

Hello,
 
This is an interesting point about cultivation of non-native species.   
Although as conservationists we would logically lean toward bioregionalist or  
"protectionist" views of species introductions, farmers are stuck between a  rock 
and a hard place when it comes to maintaining viable incomes.   Farmers need 
to adapt and adopt new crops and diversify or go under, if they're  small as 
this farmer sounds to be from his reference to street market  vending.  It's 
difficult to say that a small farmer growing asparagus and a  liliacea like 
moosli in quantities to satisfy a discreet local  demand should be told no, you 
will ruin our environment, when in fact the  orange-growing giants in Florida are 
not likely to diversify as he is attempting  to do (the orange being 
originally from China I believe).  Should we be up  in arms that an organic seed saver 
in Oregon rather well known for his  conservation work is growing numerous 
exotic species?  Or that my  local CSA farm is offering its members bok choi and 
daikon  radishes?  I think not, though I personally do favor bioregionalist  
ways.
 
I'm not saying introductions should be undertaken lightly.  But  the real 
damage of moosli production in Florida and its effect on Florida's  environment 
would not come as a result of this small farmer growing for the  handful of his 
customers who request it of him.  It would come if some  agroindustrial giant 
chose to monoculture the life out of some great expanse of  land, it would 
come as a result of this culture's demand for Viagra-like dope  instead of 
healthy lifestyles that create healthy men (and men and women who  accept and 
welcome old age), and from the sickly American salesmanship that  would oversell a 
perfectly decent medicine as some super drug that will keep men  young 
forever.  Agroindustry is for profit alone, small farming is a  lifestyle choice and 
a labor of love.  Large scale industrial agriculture  just keeps churning out 
its monocultural goods while small farmers have to  figure out ingenious ways 
to stay in farming, or quit and get an  off-farm job, or sell their lands to 
developers.
 
If I wanted to grow moosli I might check out the following website and  write 
to the owners:
_http://www.jeevanherbs.com/safed-musli.html_ 
(http://www.jeevanherbs.com/safed-musli.html) 
 
Cheers,
Jennifer
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.plantconservation.org/pipermail/mpwg_lists.plantconservation.org/attachments/20051111/3605c678/attachment.html>