Category Archives: Development

Seed in Economic and Social Development

Should Money Buy Seed?

In an earlier article I reacted to Michael Sandel’s book: What Money Can’t Buy. 1  At that time I had not read the book.  I have now corrected that situation. As claimed by both the author and his critics, the … Continue reading

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Alternative and Post-Development Discourses Influence the Political and Social Environment for the Seed Industry

Alternative development and post-development conceived themselves as alternatives to a world influenced by free market thought, by growth as an objective for social and economic change, and by the application of science.  They came into existence when dependency theory and … Continue reading

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Alternative and Participatory Development are Problematic for Seed Business

In my first effort at summarizing development theory for seed people, Development Theory and the International Seed Business, I skipped over a term that gets used in descriptions and classification of theories of development: Alternative Development. I included two of … Continue reading

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Labeling Biotechnology and the Creation of Poltical Scapegoats

  Dr. Robert Paarlberg is a supporter of the use of agricultural biotechnology, professor of political science at Wellesley College, a student of the politics of opposition to biotechnology  and the author of "Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know" … Continue reading

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Seed in Oregon’s Washington County: Economic Modernization

Washington County, Oregon is located just west of Portland  This is a story about economic transformation and about the place where I grew up, Washington County, Oregon.  The story illustrates the transformation of a more general agricultural economy into a … Continue reading

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Why Aid Is Not Working for Africa

Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa Dambisa Moyo (Author), Niall Ferguson (Foreword) Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1 Reprint edition (March 2, 2010) Language: English ISBN-10: 0374532125 ISBN-13: 978-0374532123   … Continue reading

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Seed and Government Authority, or is it Tyranny

September 1, 1939 by W. H. Auden I sit in one of the dives On Fifty-second Street Uncertain and afraid As the clever hopes expire Of a low dishonest decade: Waves of anger and fear Circulate over the bright And … Continue reading

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Discussing the Triple Bottom Line for Modern Agriculture

Modern agriculture, including organized plant breeding including the use of hybrids and the use of plant biotechnology, is most easily defended by pointing out its productivity and efficiency.  Productivity and efficiency are closely linked because the inputs in agriculture are … Continue reading

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Culture of Poverty In Southern Mexico

In a recent post on maize and seedsouthern Mexico I spoke of the challenges of the transition to commercial maize production in southern Mexico. One of the most difficult aspects of the transition is a cultural expectation that maize production … Continue reading

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The Green Revolution Comes to Southern Mexican Maize

I spent last week traveling in Mexico and talking about modernization of corn production in the dryland areas of southern Mexico.  The trip justifies my missing a post late last week. Seed usage and rural development will have a special … Continue reading

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