Ninth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

In South Korea, there is a movement to preserve and promote traditional seeds. These activists, who are tied to professional farmers, part-time farmers, and local government offices, build “seed libraries” and support projects to keep Korean seeds in use. This movement should be understood against the corporatization and globalization of South Korea’s seed industry. After the East Asian financial crisis in 1997, the country’s seed market was opened to foreign investment. Large transnational firms like Monsanto and Syngenta entered and dominated the seed market. Since then, domestic firms have re-gained control over much of the market. These firms have stressed investment in research and development in the seed sector. Along with governmental actors who support them, the firms have placed a priority on export of seeds and farm produce. Seed activists are critical of these firms. The movement is not, however, without ambiguities. Both seed activists and seed developers seek to label seeds as “domestic” in order to convince consumers they are safe. While debates over genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) have slowly emerged in the country, the domestic versus foreign labeling has been the dominant approach to building trust in products. Articulating a critique of the corporate seed sector has proved a challenge to seed activists. This project examines the seed movement. I draw on interviews with farm activists, fieldwork at a local seed library, participation in seminars on agriculture, and documentary materials from activists and industry.