The conflict over GM soybean seed saving in Argentina: ground rent, social actors, biotechnology, and intellectual property rights

Abstract

In this paper, we aim to examine the changing dynamics of the conflict over seed saving of genetically modified soybeans in Argentina. After analysing recent global transformations in seed production, we provide a summary of some noteworthy examples of this confrontation, stressing the actions taken by the social actors involved, in particular the state, whose role in the conflict has changed over time. After battling the attempts of biotechnology and seed companies to charge fees for seed saving, the state has allowed the implementation of a royalty collection system for biotechnological traits. This political shift, we argue, is linked to the specificity of capital accumulation in Argentina, which is based on the appropriation of ground rent.