Sometimes small things can have a huge impact. Even grains of rice can bring about social, political and environmental change. Researchers in Oldenburg recently saw this for themselves.
What happens when seeds are no longer sold but given away? What economic, social and ethical consequences can be observed? Early-career researchers from the ‘RightSeeds’ group at the Institute of Business Administration and Business Education at the University of Oldenburg have been investigating for the past two years the extent to which commons-based rights to seeds and crop varieties can drive ecological and social change in crop production. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is funding the collaborative project, led by Oldenburg-based economist Prof. Dr Stefanie Sievers-Glotzbach, for a total of five years. In addition to the University of Göttingen and the Institute for Ecological Economic Research (IÖW) in Berlin, eight industry partners are also involved, including several plant breeding associations.
In mid-February, the Right Seeds PhD students Nina Gmeiner and Julia Tschersich had the opportunity to take a hands-on approach to their research: they visited the Philippine rice farmers’ network MASIPAG, where the sharing of seeds and varieties has been the norm for over 30 years. The MASIPAG network comprises around 35,000 smallholders, who generally farm less than five hectares of land.
Together with representatives from the cooperating breeding associations, the two researchers set off for South-East Asia. The highlight of their stay was a week-long workshop which they organised together with other Right-Seeds researchers from Berlin and Göttingen. “The workshop was very successful. Our partners in the field – the German breeding associations and the Filipino smallholders – discussed the opportunities and risks of such commons-based networks, as well as the differences between Germany and the Philippines, without any reservations,” explains Gmeiner.
Sensitivity to social impacts
Rice is particularly important in the Philippines, as it is highly valued as a staple food. “They say: ‘seed is sacred’,” reports Gmeiner. “This also explains why this network does not want to sell seeds, but only to give them away.” The researcher wanted to find out more about this. She conducted numerous interviews with various stakeholders: “What surprised me most was that the coordinators of the rice farmers’ network have a very keen awareness of the significance of their network. I thought they would focus primarily on the economic aspect, but they are also very much aware of the social and political implications.” The social dimension of the commons-based approach is particularly important to her, as her doctoral thesis focuses specifically on the well-being of the farming families involved.
What immediately struck Gmeiner was that Filipino farmers face significantly greater pressure than their counterparts in Germany. “In Germany, farmers and their children have a good school education and can take up a different profession if farming no longer works out,” explains Gmeiner. In the Philippines, she says, there is often no other option for earning money for the family – so the pressure to succeed is correspondingly high.
The church-run aid organisation Misereor recognised this precarious situation as early as the mid-1980s and, in response, set up the MASIPAG network. Since then, the smallholders have been sharing the financial risk. Together, they cultivate and exchange more than 2,200 varieties. They are also involved in the network’s own research into new seed varieties and are encouraged to critically examine their farming practices. Every participating farmer commits to working in an environmentally sustainable manner. The network also facilitates the exchange of information on suitable growing sites, as well as advice on sowing and cultivation. The fact that the seeds and knowledge are preserved in a decentralised manner also provides protection against natural disasters or the El Niño weather phenomenon, which typically causes periods of drought in the Philippines.
A model for Germany?
A model that could also work in Germany? “Unfortunately, it’s not that simple,” explains Gmeiner. In Germany and most Western countries, plant breeding is largely a commercial system that relies on biotechnological methods, non-reproducible seed and licensing. Newly bred varieties must be registered with the Federal Office for Plant Varieties before they can be placed on the market. In most cases, plant variety rights are then also applied for – these prevent the seeds from being readily reused, given away or sold. However, Right Seeds’ German partner organisations, including Kultursaat e.V. and ARCHE NOAH, do not licence the intellectual property rights to the seeds and varieties. They choose not to apply for plant variety protection and thus forgo licence fees. This gives every farmer the freedom to use the seed as they wish: to propagate it themselves, to continue breeding with it, or to give it away to their neighbours. In this way, they are seeking to put the concept of the commons into practice. During discussions with the MASIPAG representatives, their main concern was to find out how such a complex network remains functional and how one can succeed in making one’s voice heard in the political arena.
A return visit to Germany is already planned. Next year, a Philippine delegation will come to Oldenburg to learn the secrets of successful vegetable breeding – a topic that is to be promoted in South-East Asia in future.