CHOCOLATE TREEThe Chocolate Tree chronicles the natural and cultural history of Theobroma cacao and explores its ecological niche. Tracing cacao's "journey" out of the rain forest, into pre-Columbian gardens, and then onto plantations adjacent to rain forests, Allen M. Young describes the production of this essential crop, explaining how the seeds are extracted from the large, colorful pods. He details the environmental price of Europeanized cultivation, and ways that current reclamation efforts for New World rain forests can improve the natural ecology of the cacao tree. Recounting more than a dozen years of ecological fieldwork in and around cacao plantations in Costa Rica, Young reviews his research into the problem of poor levels of natural pollination on plantations. He recalls encounters with sloths, toucans, butterflies, giant tarantula hawk wasps, and other creatures found in cacao groves. Among these creatures Young discovered a tiny fly that provides a vital link between the chocolate tree and its original rain forest habitat. This discovery leads him to conclude that cacao trees in cultivation today may have lost their original insect pollinators due to the plants' long history of agricultural manipulation. |
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Page 21
... natural bond linking humankind , nature , and the heavens . Respecting nature was the means to ensure the survival of themselves and future generations . It was largely because of this holistic view of life that these early peoples were ...
... natural bond linking humankind , nature , and the heavens . Respecting nature was the means to ensure the survival of themselves and future generations . It was largely because of this holistic view of life that these early peoples were ...
Page 156
... nature and the people who inhabited this land centuries ago . The events that day crystallized for me an ... nature throughout the world . Today's American tropics are , to some degree , a blend of exotics , plant and animal species ...
... nature and the people who inhabited this land centuries ago . The events that day crystallized for me an ... nature throughout the world . Today's American tropics are , to some degree , a blend of exotics , plant and animal species ...
Page 157
... nature , whether food , medicine , or other commodities , prompted early people in the tropics and elsewhere to explore uses of various plants , includ- ing their seeds , fruits , leaves , and roots . Subsequently , Western society's ...
... nature , whether food , medicine , or other commodities , prompted early people in the tropics and elsewhere to explore uses of various plants , includ- ing their seeds , fruits , leaves , and roots . Subsequently , Western society's ...
Contents
The Cultivation of Cacao Past and Present | 14 |
Cacao and Agriculture in Costa Rica | 48 |
Excursions into the Natural History of Cacao and Cacao Plantations | 80 |
Copyright | |
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13th Dalai Lama agricultural Amdo areas Avalokitesvara banana betan Bhutan Bön Bönpo Buddha Buddhist cacao flowers cacao plantations cacao trees celibate centers Central America central Tibet century ch'öpa Chapter Chinese chocolate clerical cocoa context Costa Rica cultivation cultural patterns Dalai Lama developed Dingri Dorjé Drugpa Dzogch'en early Ekvall Enlightenment gall midges Gelugpa Geshé gompa Guru Rimpoch'e Indian insects K'am Kagyüdpa Karma Karmapa Ladakh Lama's Lhasa Lhasa government lineages Mahāyāna major meditation Milarepa monastery monastic gompa monks nature Nepal Norbu Nyingmapa Orientation pods political pollination practitioners prajñā premodern rain forest rebirth region reincarnate lama religious Rimed ritual role rulers Sakya Sakyapa samsāra seeds shamanic Sherpa siddhas Snellgrove species Sūtras Tantra Tantric Tantric deities Tantric practice teachings terma tertön texts Theobroma Theravadin Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan population Tibetan religion Tibetan societies tion tradition trapa tropical trulku Trungpa Tsongk'apa Vajrayāna village wild cacao yogic yogins