Access to seed is crucial for farming, though few studies investigate household-level access in the informal ‘farmer seed systems’ which still supply most seed in poor countries. This paper uses empirical data of seed exchange practices for sorghum in eastern Ethiopia to analyze how social relationships influence access to off-farm seed for a major crop. Seed shortfalls are common, and farmer–farmer exchange is important for providing locally-adapted seed to fill this gap, but access varies considerably among households, also affecting quantities supplied and terms of exchange. Preferred sources for off-farm seed (neighbors, government, market) also vary among farmers, reflecting agroecology and asset-ownership, but also differing access to these sources. Social network theories highlight the importance of reciprocal ties, and the cultural norms underpinning them, in accessing seed. These cultural norms are contested, with some claiming that commercial transactions are increasingly common. Implications for interventions supporting farmer seed systems, particularly emergency seed aid, are discussed in relation to the socially-mediated nature of seed access.

background

Class differentiation and erosion of a moral economy in rural Malaysia.

Securing Access to Seed: Social Relations and Sorghum Seed Exchange in Eastern Ethiopia

Crop improvement and seed supply are central activities in agricultural development. Many interventions have sought to involve farmers more closely in crop development and seed supply, to improve the effectiveness of plant science, enhance biodiversity conservation, or empower farmers, with Participatory Plant Breeding' (PPB) being the most recent strategy for reform. However, there is little critical analysis of the existing technical and institutional practices of formal systems, and almost no knowledge at all of farmers' own strategies for accessing and using crop genetic resources. For these reasons, interventions risk being mis-directed. Moreover, without a broad analysis of institutions and policies, interventions may result lead to only temporary change, at best. This research analyses both farmer and formal seed systems for sorghum in Ethiopia , identifying the specific challenges they face, set in historical, social, and institutional context. This is rarely done in discussions of reform, and suggests different that different types of interventions are needed than usually promoted by PPB, or other participatory reforms. Using practice and path-dependency as analytical starting points, this thesis explores the history, policies, key decisions, and institutional cultures in formal breeding and seed supply. Farmers own genetic resource management was directly observed in two communities, using both qualitative and quantitative approaches to explore social relations in seed exchange, seed storage and selection, and pathways of innovation. This broad scaled-approach highlighted how biological and social process interact in genetic resource management, particularly around the institutional forces shaping formal seed system practices, and the importance of social relationships in securing access to seed and germplasm in farmer seed systems. Analysing both seed systems together in this inter-disciplinary fashion offers fresh insights into seed system reform, and highlights key challenges, particularly in relation to securing access to seed and information, appropriate scale of work, and institutional barriers to change.

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Getting genes: Rethinking seed system analysis and reform for sorghum in Ethiopia

Transforming the Indonesian Uplands

"Householding" refers to the process by which household members pool their income, make decisions, and assign tasks (Wallerstein and Smith 1992: 13). Although the household is an income pooling unit, there are inequalities and asymmetries present in its structure and operation (Collins 1985; Hart 1992). This contradictory aspect derives, in part, from the fact that social relations within household practices are embedded in structures of moral and political economy which are parallel systems of household organization (Cheal 1989). Along this dimension, and as Roldan (1988: 230) points out, household members also exchange domestic and sexual services patterned by ideologies of marriage and gender along with pertinent notions of love and hatred. The process of householding is explored in this article by examining the structure and operation of U.S. Mexican households in Arizona and California. The configuration of these households is shaped by their historical and social development in Mexico and the United States and their mode of incorporation into the U.S. economy. In addition, these households are also affected by their ties to related households as members of a larger household cluster (Tapia 1991, 1995; Velez-Ibanez 1988). Thus, the microeconomics of U.S. Mexican households reflect the practices and strategies of their members as they go about their daily lives, making sense of their reality, and at the same time trying to improve their living conditions.

Class differentiation and erosion of a moral economy in rural Malaysia.

Citations

Securing Access to Seed: Social Relations and Sorghum Seed Exchange in Eastern Ethiopia

Getting genes: Rethinking seed system analysis and reform for sorghum in Ethiopia

Transforming the Indonesian Uplands

Making a Living: The Microeconomics of U.S. Mexican Households.

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