October 07, 2016

Haiti, Essential Oils & Synthetic Biology

Potential Impacts on Haiti’s Farming Communities
Synthetic biology is being used to develop a manufacturing platform for the production of so-called “natural” flavors & fragrances including essential oils that are sourced from plants in Haiti. Synthetic biology companies aim to produce high-value, low-volume flavor/fragrance compounds in engineered microbes as a market alternative to costly botanical imports or chemically-derived
synthetics. Our fact-finding report attempts to answer the following key questions: Is the market for Haiti’s essential oils threatened by current R&D on synthetic biology? Are the livelihoods of Haitian farming communities jeopardized by these developments? 
 
You can read the report in English here, or in French here, or download below! 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon Read in English here! 625.36 KB
PDF icon Lire en français!614.48 KB

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