Whoever controls the seed, controls the system

Systems change involves examining the moving pieces within the system to determine where and how it may be possible to exert influence. This process requires constant zooming in and out between the micro and macro level.

This NY Times article on the accelerating privatisation of agriculture analyses the food supply system by starting with the smallest physical piece: a tiny seed. The seed (and the crop it will yield) determines the type of machinery, the workflows, the pesticides and fertilisers, the agricultural practices, and – zooming all the way out – the environmental impact.

“We think that the behemoths of agribusiness known as Big Food control the food system from up high – distribution, processing and the marketplace muscling everything into position. But really it is the seed that determines the system, not the other way around.”

Whoever controls the seed, controls the system. And right now, the seed is controlled by four multinational corporations and a battalion of patent lawyers.