"It shall be the duty of the Minister of the Interior to watch over the great interests of agriculture and to do all in his power to promote its improvement, by the collection and distribution of seeds and plants, and by every other means within the score of his department."
-Section 251, Hawaiian Kingdom Civil Code, Article IV-of internal improvements. December 31st 1864.
".... much of the present wealth of the islands, is owing to the seeds, roots, and plants introduced by that one man. In my opinion, it may be fairly questioned if there existed on these islands, or exists at present, any man to whom the Hawaiian people are generally so much indebted."
-Robert Crichton Willie, Hawaiian Kingdom Minister of Foreign Affairs under King Kamehameha III, on Manini (Don Francisco De Paula) as per the transactions of the Royal Hawaiian Agricultural Society, Vol. 1, by Henry M. Whitney, Hawai'i Government Press 1850.
"If I have control over my seeds, I control my food and my families nutrition. Without seeds a farm is like a house without light"
-Chandramma Molikeri a small farmer in Andrhra Pradesh, Southern India, 2010.
After WW2, the same chemical processes that were used to produce nerve gases and explosives were employed in creating synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. The coupling of hybrids and chemical inputs led to a major increase in crop yields known as "The Green Revolution" the flip-side being runoff from synthetic fertilizers polluting groundwater, rivers, and lakes. Pesticides killing wildlife leading to another syndrome known as "The Silent Spring." The 'aina becoming prone to erosion, and plants grown in monoculture presenting an easy target for pests.
In the past decade or so, three giant chemical companies have taken control of close to half of the World's commercial crop-seed market. They are namely Monsanto, DuPont, and Bayer. There is a good deal of information here on Maoliworld on GM and Monsanto including videos if you do a search. By 2005 Monsanto was the largest conventional seed merchant in the World, additionally almost all GM crops Worldwide contained Monsanto genetic traits. Between 1996 and 1998 Monsanto spent some $6 billion on buying up seed companies Globally. In 1999 DuPont paid $7.7 billion for the World's largest seed company Pioneer Hi-Bred. The World's top six agrochemical manufacturers are also seed-industry giants, sales of one promote sales of the other. The top three seed companies control almost half of all patented seeds, which accounts for 82% of the World's seed market. However, commercial seed markets do not dominate the World as yet, Monsanto's seeds occupy 87% of the total area devoted to genetically engineered seeds Worldwide.
Since records began, some 600 plant species have probably become extinct, have you noticed a dwindling in your sighting of butterflies since your childhood? Or a lessening of the fragrance from flowers? You will perhaps be surprised to read that:
-90% of fruit and vegetable varieties over in the U.S. have disappeared in the last century.
-75% of India's rice crop is planted with just a dozen varieties, yet once there were 30,000.
-90% of the 10,000 wheat varieties grown in China over a century ago have disappeared.
You can find out some interesting statistics at this website: www.etcgroup.org Back in November 2008 they published an important report titled: "Who owns nature? Corporate power and the final frontier in the commodification of life." Available by clicking here: http://www.etcgroup.org/upload/publication/707/01/etc_won_report_final_color.pdf
Some 97% of all land plants are seed bearing. The smallest seeds are those of the orchid, just 1 gram may contain more than a million. On the opposite side of the scale the largest seeds are those of the Seychelles nut which can weigh up to 20 kilos. The oldest seed found intact as living was that of a sacred lotus which was was discovered back in 1995 from a lake bed in Manchuria, China carbon dating revealed it at over 1,200 years. According to this thought provoking website on seeds an even older Judean date palm seed carbon dated to about 2,000 years old was found in Masada, Israel and germinated successfully in 2005. http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/seed
In parts of Africa seeds are preserved by mixing them with ashes which absorbs moisture, and dry chilli peppers which repel insects. Here are a couple of sites on the Sovereignty of Seeds:
www.hawaiiseed.org/ (Locally Ko Hawai'i Pae 'Aina).
www.seedsavers.org.nz (Down in Aotearoa).
www.savingourseed.org (Over in the United States).
www.seeds.ca Seeds of Diversity, (Up in Canada).
www.seedsavers.net (Down in Australia).
High up in Arctic Norway, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault has duplicate samples of seeds from genebanks Worldwide in case of large scale regional or Global crisis. It contains more than 10,000 seed samples from more than 2,000 cultivars of 300 different species. The seeds are kept sealed at -18 degrees C. (-0 degrees F.).
This website contains a gold mine of local Hawaiiana, from ancient Ahupu'a to a timeline of history:
Professor Richard Dawkins himself a lover of the evolution of seeds and plants has devoted this site to the just causes of science and reason:
This American based website has a free e-mail sign-up daily newsletter and an excellent resource for mana'o:
This website by the U.K. based "New Scientist Magazine" is a good source for reputable scientific information. According to a recent article by Dorothy Rowe none of us can see reality. We have to construct it from our interpretation from what we perceive, tempered by experience. As a consequence, each each of us exists in a World of our own meaning, constantly at risk of being shattered by inconvenient facts. If we acknowledge them, they can destroy our sense of self. So, to ensure that we will not be overwhelmed by the uncertainty in living in a World we can never truly know, we shut them out by lying to ourselves. Though it may challenge our sense of self, we are forced to accept that our acquaintances can lie to themselves as our opponents can, the site also has a free e-mail sign-up newsletter:
The BBC Focus Magazine has all the latest on science, technology, and future, with a free e-mail signup at: http://www.bbcfocusmagazine.com
On this special day when H.R.H. Queen Lili'uokalani is honored let us recall the flowers which were secretly concealed in newspapers during her illegal confinement and delivered to her by way of gift from her people no ka mea...... kaulana na pua o Hawai'i.
-Onipa'a.
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