How Corporate Scientific Expertise and Privatised Seeds Are Destroying Indigenous Knowledge Systems for Food Security and Climate Change Mitigation: The Case of Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

AbstractFor centuries, indigenous knowledge systems have ensured local sustainable development and access to food for rural communities. The introduction of privatised seeds designed by multinational corporations within capitalist political economies and introduced into African agricultural systems, has disregarded indigenous farming systems potentially leading to food insecurity. Traditionally, a portion of seeds were preserved and harvested for the subsequent year, and the cycle repeated. In Sub-Saharan Africa, corporations such as Monsanto have patented seeds, thus, flooding the market and driving farmers to buy these seeds, which will eventually cause the loss of indigenous knowledge systems. This will also dictate how food is produced and how it is produced during climate calamities. By reviewing the recent work on privatised science and patented seeds in Sub-Saharan Africa, the effects on indigenous knowledge systems and the impact on food security, are explored. The chapter suggests power imbalances and difficulties originating from twofold tensions between Western private science and indigenous knowledge systems remaining decontextualised when adapting to climate change for food security. The chapter calls for reflexive scientisation that is supportive of indigenous knowledge systems and new modes of adaptive governance that incorporate participatory democracy, moving away from privatisation of seeds.KeywordsPrivatised seedsFood insecurityPrivatised scienceReflexive scientisationParticipatory democracy