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https://reasonstobecheerful.world/open-source-seeds-offer-a-way-out-of-big-ags-grip-on-farmers/>
"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."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
