At first I struggled to understand everything Vandana Shiva was saying.
At about 7:30, she dismissed the idea of seeds being intellectual property. Regardless of whether or not I agree with her, I think she oversimplifies it. Monsanto genetically modified seeds to make them grow certain chemicals in them which kill harmful insects. So, there was some intellectual innovation. This issue is covered in today’s other post.
11:00 – The Austrian Economist in me cringeD when she suggests Monsanto’s seeds are causing crop failures, because I thought she was suggesting that government needs to keep farmers from using them? If the seeds are unproductive, the free market would remove them from use.
20:00 – Here and elsewhere she talks about the destructiveness of new technologies. I remained confused about this, as the free market would get rid of harmful technologies.
The first glimpse of evil I comes at 24:00, when she talks about an agreement between U.S. and Indian governments and Monsanto, but I’m confused again at 26:30. If organic farmers are 10x more productive, why are their neighbors still using Monsanto seeds? The free market is the best arbiter of ideas.
The heart of the problem finally becomes clear at 36:00. The Indian government seems to be preventing farmers from saving seeds. She says “there is no need for state regulation.” Okay. Now I’m with her. Like all regulation, the Indian government’s seed regulation is an attempt to eliminate competition for big companies, in this case Monsanto, by preventing farmers from saving seeds.
From 36:00 until she finishes her talk at 43:00, she speaks about seeds from a freedom perspective.
“If we don’t have seed for nutrition, we won’t have nutrition. If we don’t have seed for climate-resiliance, we won’t have climate-resiliance. And if we don’t have seend for freedom, we won’t have freedom.”
I lover her passion.