<head><style>body{font-size:10pt;font-family:arial,sans-serif;background-color:#ffffff;color:black;}p{margin:0px;}</style></head><body>I think one needs to look no further than what has happened with maize/corn to determine the future path of where most plant genomic research leads. The following excerpt from: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2009-11/decoded-corn-genome-promises-higher-yields-better-bio-fuels-new-plastics; is most illustrative.<br><br><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">"Maize actually underwent significant genetic alteration during the
domestication process thousands of years ago, with the early settlers of
the Americas increasing the yield, altering ear geometry, and
augmenting the stalk strength through years of selective breeding. Now,
with the genome laid bare, scientists can accomplish the same level of
engineering in fractions of the time."</span><br><br>If the lack of genetic diversity is handicapping small farmer production, then yes, by all means, introduce diversity into that production. This of course can easily be accomplished by the time honored horticultural practices of selection and hybridization introducing germplasm sourced from "wild" populations (apparently occurring in the Amazon Basin) into that production.<br><br>In this day and age however, I'm afraid that the inclination of most researchers is to follow the quicker, more profitable (for the researcher) and "patentable" path of transgenic manipulation. Despite the claims of Mars, Inc. that the resulting findings will be "public domain" history and the long trail of research dollars generally have led to the opposite, eventually. Of course, only time will tell.....<br><br><br><blockquote style="padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 0px; border-left: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 255);">-----Original Message-----
<br>From: Jennifer Chesworth <cafesombra@gmail.com>
<br>Sent: Nov 12, 2010 11:51 AM
<br>To: mpwg@lists.plantconservation.org
<br>Subject: Re: [MPWG] In Twenty Years Chocolate Will Be A Rare Delicacy
<br><br>Jean, in the case of cacao you are mistaken. Several years ago,
chocolate manufacturers experienced a crisis when they discovered the
stock of almost ALL global plantations (and small holdings) of cacao
were descended from the seed of a single cacao plant brought to
Martinique by the French in 1660. All plantations were similarly
resilient or not to any number of diseases, and a single plague could devastate the entire industry. "Maintaining resilience" of cacao
requires tissue culture, something most small holders cannot achieve on
their own.<br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 11:47 AM, Jennifer Chesworth <span dir="ltr"><<a target="_blank" href="mailto:cafesombra@gmail.com">cafesombra@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
<br><div><div class="h5">
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 11:27 AM, Jean Giblette <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:hfg@capital.net" target="_blank">hfg@capital.net</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
<div style="word-wrap: break-word;">
<div>Thanks, Robin.</div><div><br></div>Quoted from the Independent article:<div><br></div><div>"<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px;">Despite price rises on the trading floor, precious little reaches the smallholders who make up 95 per cent of growers, according to Mr. Lass, a former Cadburys trader and ethical sourcing advisor who has co-authored a book on the cocoa industry.</span><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; line-height: 11px;">
<font style="font: 12px Verdana; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" color="#333333" face="Verdana" size="3">"These smallholders earn just 80 cents a day," he says. "So there is no incentive to replant trees when they die off, and to wait up to five years for a new crop, and no younger generation around to do the replanting."</font></p>
<div><div>Note the main thrust of these articles, which is to celebrate the genome sequencing in hopes that a genetic engineering "solution" will be found, when all we have to do is incentivize the farmers to replant on a regular basis and to maintain/enhance the resilience of the small holdings.</div>
<div><br></div><div>These articles portray the microcosm of what's wrong with medicinal plant production worldwide: the growers are neither adequately compensated nor rewarded for good stewardship. At the same time, industrial ag (including its ultimate manifestation, genetic engineering) displaces the growers. These dynamics are based on social constructs, and social constructs can be revised.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, Mother Nature is waiting to reward us with chocolate and all the abundance of the fertile earth. All we have to do is follow her lead and cooperate with her. Why is this so hard for us to understand?</div>
<div><br></div><div>Jean</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>On Nov 12, 2010, at 10:50 AM, MoonBranch Botanicals wrote:</div><br><blockquote type="cite"><div style="margin: 0px;">Chocolate Black Hole; Chocolate consumption is increasing faster than production, meaning the future will probably be less chocolaty....</div>
<div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-11/future-chocolate-will-be-rare-delicacy-analysts-say" target="_blank">http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-11/future-chocolate-will-be-rare-delicacy-analysts-say</a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/chocolate-worth-its-weight-in-gold-2127874.html" target="_blank">http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/chocolate-worth-its-weight-in-gold-2127874.html</a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-09/sweet-breakthrough-scientists-led-candy-company-sequence-chocolate-genome" target="_blank">http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-09/sweet-breakthrough-scientists-led-candy-company-sequence-chocolate-genome</a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Robin Alton Suggs</div><div style="margin: 0px;">
MoonBranch Botanicals</div><div style="margin: 0px;">5294 Yellow Creek Road</div><div style="margin: 0px;">Robbinsville, North Carolina 28771<span> </span></div><div style="margin: 0px;">USA</div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
<br></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Telephone: 828.479.2788</div><div style="margin: 0px;">Email: <a href="mailto:moonbranch@earthlink.net" target="_blank">moonbranch@earthlink.net</a></div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
<br></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.moonbranch.com" target="_blank">www.moonbranch.com</a></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span> </span>&</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.localharvest.org/store/M16074" target="_blank">www.localharvest.org/store/M16074</a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Member:</div><div style="margin: 0px;">Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project; Farm Partner</div><div style="margin: 0px;">Green Products Alliance<span> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">North Carolina Consortium on Natural Medicines<span> </span></div><div style="margin: 0px;">North Carolina Goodness Grows/NCDA&CS<span> </span></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Southwestern North Carolina RC&D Council</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">United Plant Savers</div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0px;">“If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.”</div>
<div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0px;">- Thomas Jefferson</div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
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<div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0px;">Disclaimer</div><div style="margin: 0px;">Any advice given on this list regarding diagnosis or treatments etc. reflects ONLY the opinion of the individual who posts the message. The information contained in posts is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice relative to your specific medical condition or question. All medical and other healthcare information that is discussed on this list should be carefully reviewed by the individual reader and their qualified healthcare professional. Posts do not reflect any official opinions or positions of the Plant Conservation Alliance. <span> </span></div>
</blockquote></div><br><font color="#888888"><div> <span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><div>
Jean Giblette, Owner</div><div>HIGH FALLS GARDENS</div><div>Box 125 Philmont NY 12565</div><div>518-672-7365, <a href="mailto:hfg@capital.net" target="_blank">hfg@capital.net</a></div><div><a href="http://www.highfallsgardens.net" target="_blank">www.highfallsgardens.net</a></div>
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Disclaimer<br>
Any advice given on this list regarding diagnosis or treatments etc. reflects ONLY the opinion of the individual who posts the message. The information contained in posts is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice relative to your specific medical condition or question. All medical and other healthcare information that is discussed on this list should be carefully reviewed by the individual reader and their qualified healthcare professional. Posts do not reflect any official opinions or positions of the Plant Conservation Alliance. <br>
</blockquote></div><br>
</div></div><br></blockquote></div><br>
</cafesombra@gmail.com></blockquote></body><pre>
Robin Alton Suggs
MoonBranch Botanicals
5294 Yellow Creek Road
Robbinsville, North Carolina 28771
USA
Telephone: 828.479.2788
Email: moonbranch@earthlink.net
www.moonbranch.com
&
www.localharvest.org/store/M16074
Member:
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project; Farm Partner
Green Products Alliance
North Carolina Consortium on Natural Medicines
North Carolina Goodness Grows/NCDA&CS
Southwestern North Carolina RC&D Council
United Plant Savers
“If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.”
- Thomas Jefferson
</pre>