Abstract:

The seed, like the big bang, or evolution, or the atom … bears the mystifying tale of a beginning. We fill our bellies on the seed, heal our wounds, build our homes. Systems of production and exchange include knowledge systems. In farmer seed systems, this knowledge resides in farmers, particularly women farmers, in their everyday practices, and in elders with a store of indigenous knowledge about seed production and reproduction. Seed goes beyond yields and food, and plays a central role in cultural reproduction itself.