Seeding Relations: Placemaking through Ecological, Social, and Political Networks as a Basis for Agrobiodiversity Governance

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Abstract (may include machine translation)

Agrobiodiversity governance is often guided by estimates of countable and measurable objects, from the number and diversity of heirloom seeds or landraces grown in a certain location, to the frequency of seed exchange among actors and rates of disappearance of varieties. Such variables provide important information about conservation status at different scales but do not necessarily capture the dynamic social roles and relationships of seeds and agrobiodiversity to local cultures and communities. This chapter explores (a) the cultural roles of seeds in agrobiodiversity governance as a set of interwoven processes that are mediated by, and which in turn mediate, relationships between people, their practices, and knowledge systems; (b) networks with other people and other species; (c) attachments to cultural landscapes and histories or places; and (d) the broader politics of agriculture and rural development. It argues that relational processes are a necessary part of an analytical framework and crucial for understanding the role that social networks play, at multiple scales, in agrobiodiversity governance, including creating, managing, preserving, or "losing" diversity in the long term.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAgrobiodiversity
Subtitle of host publicationIntegrating Knowledge for a Sustainable Future
EditorsKarl S. Zimmerer, Stef de Haan
PublisherMIT Press
Number of pages16
ISBN (Print)978-0-262-03868-3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2019

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