Global knowledge encounter : a sociological analysis of the introduction of genetically modified seed in Warangal, India

Date

2009

Journal Title

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Volume Title

Publisher

Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, GB

Abstract

The paper argues that the diffusion of global knowledge systems such as biotechnology is neither neutral nor banal. It traces the route of seed agents and the social construction of genetically modified (GM) crops. In Warangal district, approximately one thousand agricultural input merchants and their social networks cover almost all of the 1,015 Gram panchayats (village councils). The unintended consequences of the adoption of new seed are cruel – narrowing of foodstuffs produced, loss of local knowledge, the further social devaluing of women, and the reinforcement of patriarchy and the market.

Description

Keywords

GENETIC ENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE, INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE, TRADITIONAL PRACTICES, BT COTTON, INDIA, WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE, GENDER ROLES, SEEDS, BIOTECHNOLGY, AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION, BIODIVERSITY, SOUTH ASIA

Citation

DOI