Dr. VANDANA SHIVA on the Promise of the Commons /280
Pictured: Aerial view of an organic seed mandala in ebbs and whorls created from corn, bean, legume, and grain seeds in a spectrum of earthen colors; a small clay bowl with “Cherokee Trail of Tears” black beans rests in the center; photo courtesy of Keitha Thủy Young (@thepeacefulseed).
In this episode of For the Wild, Ayana and returning guest Dr. Vandana Shiva discuss the crumbling of the colonial paradigm and the promise of re-commoning the commons for our collective future. Situating us in the exigency of food and seed sovereignty for our present time, Dr. Shiva reminds us that seeds and living systems are not open access systems to be privatized, patented, or exploited. Rather, the commons are central to all of life. In this multifaceted episode, we discuss threats to the commons by Big Tech; the brilliance and sophistication of Indigenous seed cultures and breeding, the toxicity of GMO crops for our bodies and the planet, the benefits of agroecological farming, and the need for diversity in our ecosystems and justice movements. Tying the green-washed quest by tech barons to digitalize the world to legacies of colonialism and imperialism under a similar “civilizing” mission, Dr. Shiva warns that the ruling class operates from a place of fear of any being alive and free on their own terms. We end this conversation with a call to a paradigm shift away from capitalism, control and fear to one of partnership with the earth.
“Reclaiming the commons of life, growing our food, reclaiming food sovereignty and seed sovereignty is not a luxury. It’s a necessity.”
Photo of Dr. Vandana Shiva by Kartikey Shiva
Vandana Shiva is a world-renowned environmental thinker and activist, a leader in the International Forum on Globalisation and of the Slow Food Movement. Founder of Navdanya and of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, and a tireless crusader for farmers’, peasants’, and women’s rights, she is author and editor of many influential books, including two from Synergetic Press, Reclaiming the Commons: Biodiversity, Indigenous Wisdom, and the Rights of Mother Earth (2020) and the forthcoming Philanthrocapitalism and the Erosion of Democracy: A Global Citizens’ Report on the Corporate Control of Technology, Health, and Agriculture, which is slated for release in February 2022.
♫ The music in this episode is “Tiptoes in the Parlor” by Peals, “To You” by Kaivalya, and “We Will Rise Again” by Peia.
Episode References
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff
Poisoning Our Children by André Leu
Philanthrocapitalism and the Erosion of Democracy: A Global Citizens’ Report on the Corporate Control of Technology, Health, and Agriculture by Vandana Shiva
Reclaiming the Commons: Biodiversity, Indigenous Women and the Rights of Mother Earth by Vandana Shiva
American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half of Its Food (and What We Can Do About It) by Jonathan Bloom
Indigenous Food Sovereignty in the United States: Restoring Cultural Knowledge, Protecting Environments and Regaining Health, Edited by Devon A. Mihesuah & Elizabeth Hoover
“We are Earth, We are Nature: Patenting Biodiversity Means Stealing the Nature of Life” by Vandana Shiva
Take Action
Watch the documentary The Seeds of Vandana Shiva
Visit the website Navdanya.org
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For The Wild is a slow media organization dedicated to land-based protection, co-liberation, and intersectional storytelling. We are rooted in a paradigm shift away from human supremacy, endless growth, and consumerism. As we dream towards a world of grounded justice and reciprocity, our work highlights impactful stories and deeply-felt meaning making as balms for these times.