Cacao with Professor Pathmanathan Umaharan
From Plant People by New York Botanical Garden
April 27, 2026 · 26 min · Season 3 · Episode 7
About this episode
This episode features a discussion on the history and challenges of cacao cultivation with Professor Pathmanathan Umaharan.
In this episode of Plant People , host Jennifer Bernstein, CEO and The William C. Steere Sr. President of NYBG, sits down with Professor Pathmanathan Umaharan, Director of the Cocoa Research Centre at the University of the West Indies, to talk chocolate. Together they explore the ancient history of cacao tree cultivation, dating at least as far back as the Olmec civilization in what is now Mexico. Today, crops of cacao and the many types of chocolate they produce face threats in climate change and plant diseases, creating serious challenges for the future of this important food.
People in this episode
Host: Jennifer Bernstein
Guest: Pathmanathan Umaharan
Topics covered
- cacao
- chocolate
- climate change
- plant diseases
- history of cultivation
Keywords
- cacao
- chocolate
- climate change
- plant diseases
- Olmec civilization
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of the West Indies, Cocoa Research Centre
Places: Mexico, Olmec civilization
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