The Red de Semillas Libres: Contesting Biohegemony in Colombia

Abstract

The Red de Semillas Libres (Network of Free Seeds) in Colombia contests the expansion of, and dominant narratives on, agricultural biotechnology and intellectual property rights (IPRs) protections on seedor what has been called 'biohegemony'. We argue that despite its challenges, the Network contests 'biohegemony' through lawsuits, supporting 'seed sovereignty', and reframing the often taken-for-granted discourse on local seed varieties as raw material and a resource to be 'discovered', 'invented' and commodified by industry and Western-based technoscience. Based on ethnographic research, we extend the concept of biohegemony to include struggle and contestation by examining how the Network pursues seed sovereignty.

Examining Farmer and Seed Construction in the Context of Seed Policy: A Social Constructionist Perspective

“…On the other hand, some studies delve into the social and political aspects of seeds, which have evolved and played a crucial role in shaping human history (McCann, 2011), social innovation JESS, Open Access Journal: http://jess.ppj.unp.ac.id/index.php/JESS (Balazs & Aistara, 2018), social cohesion (van Niekerk & Wynberg, 2017), culture (Paul, 2018), and local knowledge or food customs (Cuevas et al, 2015) that emerge in seed studies. Additionally, there is an examination of seed activism (Peschard & Randeria, 2020), resistance against imperialism and neocolonialism (Gutiérrez Escobar & Fitting, 2016), food democracy (Daye, 2020), and struggles over seed laws (Müller, 2020). Thus, seeds hold diverse meanings and are intricately tied to the contemporary battleground encompassing technical, economic, social, and political conditions.…”

Ruta biocultural de conservación de las semillas nativas y criollas en el territorio indígena de Puracé, Cauca

“…Las semillas nativas son aquellas que su centro de origen se encuentra en la misma región donde se cultivan (Harlan, 1971) y las criollas, aunque no son originarias del territorio, los agricultores las adaptan en sus huertas, a las condiciones ambientales (Gutiérrez & Fitting, 2016) e intereses antropocéntricos locales. Su pérdida causa preocupación mundial, porque además de la reducción de especies, variedades o variantes cultivadas (Casas & Parra, 2007), a tasas hasta 10.000 veces mayor que la extinción natural (Casas et al 2016), también reduce la diversidad genética.…”

Environmental Injustice in Argentina: Struggles against Genetically Modified Soy

“…This work contributes to research on the emergence of anti‐GM movements in the global South (Scoones ; Gutiérrez Escobar and Fitting ) as well as to efforts to link the literatures on environmentalism in the North and South (Carruthers ; Martínez‐Alier ). I argue that bringing these literatures together is significant for rethinking issues of power, dynamics of technological and agrarian change, and ecological sustainability.…”