Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Globalization and
Organic Food Systems
W hen Christopher Columbus discovered America, it is said he was
disappointed, for the place he was really seeking was this, the coast of
Malabar, India's fabled spice coast, linked by intricate waterways to a
hinterland of unimaginable riches. The Romans and Phoenicians, the
Arabs, Chinese, and Europeans all came here in search of ivory, silks,
and gold. But most of all, they came for the spices of India: cardamom,
ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper—or black gold.—Narration from
an Indian Ministry of Tourism
Incredible !ndia
video
In the south of India is a land of coconuts—Kerala, as it is called
in Malayalam, the local language. Several sizes and varieties of coconut
trees fill every possible corner, swaying behind train stations in groves
and along city streets, lining the sides of every canal and waterway, and
ranging from the Malabar Coast to high into the foggy mountain ranges
of the Western Ghats. W hen you look down from rooftops or out of the
window of an airplane, everything is green
—a verdant landscape extend-
ing to the horizon.
Kerala has enchanted travelers for centuries with its natural resources
and geography. Marco Polo sought its spices, and colonial empires fought
for control of its teak forests and medicinal plants. Today, the southwest-
ern Indian state is the “torchbearer” of the Government of
India's In-
credible !ndia, a marketing campaign designed by the Indian Ministry
of f To u r i s m .1 Images of Kerala's greenery, from its rolling hills of spice
