Monocultures of the Mind: Perspectives on Biodiversity and Biotechnology

by Vandana Shiva

Vandana Shiva has established herself as a leading independent thinker and voice for the South in that critically important nexus where questions of development strategy, the environment and the posititon of women in society coincide. In this new volume, she brings together her thinking on the protection of biodiversity, the implications of biotechnology, and the consequences for agriculture of the global pre-eminence of Western-style scientific knowledge.

In lucid and accessible fashion, she examines the current threats to the planet's biodiversity and the environmental and human consequences of its erosion and replacement by monocultural production. She shows how the new Biodiversity Convention has been gravely undermined by a mixture of diplomatic dilution during the process of negotiation and Northern hi-tech interests making money out of the new biotechnologies. She explains what these technologies involve and gives examples of their impact in practice. She questions their claims to improving natural species for the good of all and highlights the ethical and environmental problems posed.

Underlying her arguments is the view that the North's particular approach to scientific understanding has led to a system of monoculture in agriculture - a model that is not being foisted on the South, displacing its societies' ecologically sounder, indigenous and age-old experiences of truly sustainable food cultivation, forest management and animal husbandry. This rapidly accelerating process of technology and system transfer is impoverishing huge numbers of people, disrupting the social systems that provide them with security and dignity, and will ultimately result in a sterile planet in both North and South, In a policy intervention of potentially great significance, she calls instead for a halt, at international as well as local level, to the aid and market incentives to both large-scale destruction of habitats where biodiversity thrives and the introduction of centralised, homogenous systems of cultivation.

Genres: Ecology, Environment, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Food, Economics, Spirituality

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

A major figurehead of the alter-globalization movement as well as a major role player in global Ecofeminism, Dr. Vandana Shiva is recipient to several awards for her services in human rights, ecology and conservation. Receiving her Ph.D in physics at the University of Western Ontario in 1978, Dr. Vandana Shivas attentions were quickly drawn towards ecological concerns.

Reviews

[Brian Griffith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book zeroes in on possibly the core issue of progress as we know it. In maximizing certain kinds of production, we are systematically "weeding out" other kinds of life. Shiva conducts a whirlwind tour showing what this means for agriculture, biodiversity, the economy, politics, and human values. What do we have when only certain types of plants and people are valued? I found it a very challenging and inspiring piece of work.

[Mafalda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I loved this book. Even though it was written in 1993, it is still so precise and discusses themes that are still haunting us. Shiva deliver us a perfect, perfect debate about the importance of local knowledge vs the dominant ideas/notions.

Highly recommend for everyone who is keen to learn more about knowledge systems.

[Bernard Lavallée · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the erosion of biodiversity and agricultural diversity. It explores its impacts on the environment and the livelihood of communities dependent on the diverse outputs of traditional farming systems. There are some genius insights, especially when you consider this was written three decades ago. Most of it is still relevant, if not more than ever, even though the statistics are obviously outdated.

This is the second book I read by Vandana Shiva and I have the same critique for both works : she often repeats over and over the same arguments, which becomes quite boring. It's even more obvious in this book, which is a collection of 5 essays which were written independently, then put together. There are even whole paragraphs that are copied and pasted from one essay to the other.

[Meg]

The first essay in this book was amazing, but I ended up setting it down and getting wrapped up in schoolwork before I could finish it, and now it's in Illinois, and I'm in California. But the first piece is an amazing look at the essentially colonizing act of American corporations and scientific knowledge on Indian agriculture and indigenous knowledge.

[Lenaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helped open my eyes to the issues of both our monocrop agricultural approach as well as our production oriented monocrop mental issues. Will make you hate the corporation Monsantos.

[LJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vandana Shiva takes it closer to the heart of issues- no unnecessary frills- she went straight to the "heart of the matter".

A book that worth your while. A must read.