The stories of seed sovereignty

In a graphic illustration of consolidation in the seed industry through 2018, and how corporations control our seeds, Phil Howard tells the story of how farmers have been losing control of their seeds for quite some time (Howard 2020). From a narrowing of the genetic foundation of agriculture to the legal restrictions on the age-old practice of farmers saving their own seed and exchanging it with other farmers, the consolidation of the seed industry in the hands of 4 transnational corporations that Howard has documented is frightening.

In a new post that expands this story, Howard shows how this consolidation continued to intensify just over the past 4 years, and not only involves seeds, but has now begun to capture data technology (Strömberg and Howard 2023). Between 2018 and 2022 the trend of global concentration and consolidation within agrochemical and seed companies has continued unhindered. The “Big Four” agrochemical firms, Bayer, BASF, Corteva and Sinochem, have all increased their power through tactical acquisitions and mergers. The megamerger of Sinochem and ChemChina in 2021 marked a notable change in the agri-food system – the combination of two giant firms owned by the government of China has led to the formation of the world’s largest chemical conglomerate and the third largest seed firm, operating under the name of a previously acquired Swiss giant, Syngenta (ETC Group 2022). The ETC Group estimates that in 2020 the Big Four controlled approximately 51% of seed sales, and that these same four firms accounted for more than 62% of global agrochemical sales.

The story of the impacts of this consolidation and control of agricultural inputs, including seeds, is highlighted in a report from the International Panel of Experts in Sustainable Food Systems (Food 2017). Such high levels of concentration threaten political sovereignty, and lead to additional consequences, including negative impacts on communities, labor, human health, animal welfare, and the environment (Howard 2021). The loss of cultural knowledge and genetic diversity are particularly damaging. These impacts have only intensified.

Despite these impacts, however, stories emerge of the resistance and resilience of local communities, smallholder farmers, and traditional knowledge that gives hope for the future of local seeds and seed systems. Organizations such as the Network of Guardians of Maize and Biodiversity (REGMABI for its acronym in Spanish) work at the grassroots level to capture traditional knowledge about local seeds and seed saving. REGMABI organizes seed exchange fairs, training courses, and seed bank development (REGMABI 2023). Their “guardians” are people in indigenous communities of the highland Maya region of southern Mexico where a rich culture of traditional farming and food systems still flourishes. In a recent book they published (Sánchez Gómez et al. 2022), eight guardians eloquently tell their stories. A fascinating aspect of these stories is that they are not just about seeds, but also about the traditional farming system called “milpa,” where corn forms the central crop in the milpa fields, yet is surrounded by a plethora of other crops, useful non-crop plants, and even animals. Each of the eight stories comes from different Maya communities, and each has its own Mayan words for the system, the practices, and the seeds. Some of the stories are captured as words from elders, others from young farmers determined to carry on the traditions of their elders. These stories reflect the experience of many generations, but are living, evolving, and adapting as they continue to form the foundation of new seeds and planting experiences of the new generations of farmers. This is what can be called “in-situ” selection, where place-based adaptation takes place in both an ecological and cultural context. The stories themselves are evolving. It is obvious that a seed stored in a germplasm bank can only tell a very small piece of such stories.

Agroecologists listen to these stories, learn from them, and together with the story tellers, co-create new stories as farmer knowledge and experience are combined and shared. Such knowledge-sharing leads to new kinds of knowledge – what can be called transdisciplinary knowledge. Science and practice can then join in ways that empower the food sovereignty movement.

The seed in a farmer’s hand is the guardian of these stories.