Can you elaborate what Agroecology is, and how its relevant to consumers/business?
HS: I would say agroecology is another building block towards sustainability. Many people have written books on this, with differing definitions. It is generally concerned with the ecological impact of agricultural practices. For me, it must also work environmentally at the small scale as well as the more broad ecological aspect. And I feel it must have a cultural element too, beyond the standard economic, social and environmental considerations. TS: Would the trees that result from your tree genome project be considered GMO? What would you say to people who have an issue with GMO crop based foods, in relation to this project? HS: Our sequencing of the cocoa genome gives us the full toolbox for decision making on the conventional breeding of cacao trees. Learning from the genome we extrapolate what gives rise to disease reception/invasion of the plant and what gives defense against pathogens. We’re taking the cocoa genome and using classical genetics – we are not modifying it in the se
