“Open Source” Seeds Loosen Big Ag’s Grip on Farmers

upstart writes:

A new crop of unowned seeds is bringing biodiversity back to farming:

Alexander Klepnev CC BY 4.0

When Jack Kloppenburg looks out over his sprawling vegetable garden in rural Wisconsin, he sees half a dozen arm-thick green-striped squash called Candystick Dessert Delicata, and a gaggle of bright yellow Goldini squash among the lush green. "These are so delicious!" he exclaims with all the enthusiasm only a lifelong gardener can muster. But what's special about the vegetables is not just their taste: They have all been grown from open source seeds developed by Oregon farmer Carol Deppe, a Harvard-trained geneticist and board chair of the Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI).

Most people have heard of open source software, maybe also of open source beer (Free beer for all!) or open source pharmaceutical research. The principle is the same: Someone developed the seeds - for cowpeas, corn, rye and more - and now offers the resource for everybody to share.

Just like software development has been co-opted by a few global companies like Microsoft and Apple, the international seed development and trade, too, is controlled by a few big giants like Bayer (Monsanto), Corteva (DuPont) and ChemChina (Syngenta). A 2012 Oxfam study found that four companies dominate more than 60 percent of the global trade with grains.

When we buy cereal or bread, few pay attention to the fact that most grains are protected or even patented. Most farmers don't own the seeds they sow on their fields. "They are renting them," Kloppenburg, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and co-founder of OSSI says with disgust. The problem with that? "A few global companies have the monopolies on global seed trade, and they breed cash crops like corn and soy, purely for money. They don't care about biodiversity, world hunger or about the small farmer." What sounds like a business problem impacts everybody, Kloppenburg insists. "These few gene giants on top of the food chain decide what ends up on our plates."

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