Politics of Knowledge in Development: Explorations in Seed Sovereignty

There is an existing debate on the epistemic hegemony of the knowledge system of industrial agriculture. The two sides posit a critique and offer alternatives from already existing practices of agriculture. Most often, the critique is on hard material grounds, while the alternatives are offered in terms of the recovery of a cultural set of practices. This article posits a fresh critique to complement the existing one and expands the scope of the alternative to make critical appraisals of existing knowledge systems. For the first, it critically analyses each of the presumptions that underlie the argument of the dominant vision and for the second, this article identifies, analyses and aims to foreground those perspectives that contested major policy decisions and the reasons for their subsequent marginalization. The issue of seed sovereignty-that of women farmers specially, retaining the authority to breed and propagate seeds for farming-is the focal point of this study.

Automated summary

The debate surrounding the epistemic hegemony of industrial agriculture's knowledge system is analyzed in this article. Critiques and alternatives are provided, focusing on material grounds and cultural practices recovery. The study focuses on seed sovereignty, particularly on women farmers retaining the authority to breed and propagate seeds.