Pot is so easy to grow. The trick in the future is to get the most THC per watt of power. The little grower is doomed. Monsanto and ADM will be the future. Assembly line grows will ensure a quality product at a decent price. The smaller boutique grows will be a curiosity, small niche markets; but it will be big growers making most of the product.
I think you're absolutely right. But, like home-brewers and micro-breweries, there will be connoisseurs who will pay more for "handcrafted" bud. Maybe not a lucrative business opportunity, but I think anyone who produces a pound or two every 3-4 months wouldn't have a problem selling it (in the future you describe) for $5 a gram to friends/neighbors who appreciate independently grown bud. $2k for a pound which might cost $300 to grow (not counting the time spent learning to grow, which I agree, is not the best use of time unless the individual is a connoisseur themselves and would incur that expense just to produce weed for their self.).
Its not rocket science every peice of info you could possibly need is available online
I disagree. It's difficult to determine from online conversations whether people are talking about hydro or soil, indoor or outdoor, short or tall grow, cool or hot climate, humid or dry, using ro water or tap, etc. Without some crucial context, a lot of the information found online will sound contradictory to anyone who begins learning by googling.
IMO, this hobby needs a wiki. A single, community-developed and constantly-revisable encyclopedia of everything about growing weed. You might add that 5.8 is the desired PH for growing, another might add "in hydro." Someone else might add that 5.8 is best for veg, 6.0 for flower.
Instead of little details like that spread across a billion conversations, they would accumulate in one topical reference. I know some people feel it's a badge of honor to learn the hard way. ("I walked a mile through snow every day to go to school. You kids have everything easy!"). That's fair. But, the same could be applied to forums. When I was a teen, if you wanted to grow you moved to northern california and found someone to learn from. There were none of these forums which allow you to ask questions to nameless/faceless people who respond immediately. A wiki is just taking the same concept further: structuring information for more efficient, easier access. Write once, read many.