Repossession through sharing of and access to seeds: different cases and practices

Seeds are both the means and product of agricultural production. The corporate appropriation of seeds affects farmers’ autonomy and has been contested and resisted by farmers worldwide through practices of repossession. This article investigates different practices of the repossession of seeds emphasising the micro-structure and recent developments in agricultural practices that lead to a commonisation of seeds. Various practices of seed repossession present in India are analysed and compared with open-source initiatives to present examples of the diversity of singular initiatives aimed at the commonisation of seeds in the Global South. The article shows that each initiative applies a multitude of concrete practices to counter what we will refer to as metabolic rift, but without a single generic strategy, each seeking in its own way to repossess seeds and (re)locate them in a social space of commons.     

对资本主义的生态批判——“马克思的物质变换裂缝理论”旨趣探析

福斯特创造性建构“马克思的物质变换裂缝理论”的旨趣,在于通过对资本主义的生态批判,揭示资本主义制度的反生态性质,进而建立马克思主义的生态学和当代生态政治学之间的有机联系,践行生态学马克思主义的“主旨”——人的解放和自然的解放。     

马克思的物质变换概念及其当代意义

马克思的物质变换概念来自与他同时代的德国化学家尤·冯·李比希 (J.V .LieBig)。马克思主要在三种场合使用这一概念 :自然界、人与自然界关系、人类社会。与这一概念相关的其它概念有生命、劳动、商品交换、裂缝等。揭示和发展马克思的物质变换概念有助于我们发展唯物史观 ,从而帮助我们更深刻地理解马克思理论的当代意义 ;有助于我们寻求解决当今人类面临的人与自然界之间冲突和人类社会内部发展困境的途径     

Urban transition toward food sovereignty

In cities throughout the world, people are taking steps to develop just, sustainable alternatives to the dominant food system. These initiatives pose questions which, to be answered, require new theoretical approaches. This study makes use of Marx's concepts of ‘social metabolism’ and ‘metabolic rift’, as well as Altvater's analysis of forms of capitalist appropriation, in order to understand how current society-nature relationships have given way to a socioeconomic spatial order which makes it difficult to develop just, sustainable food systems. From this theoretical framework, we identify and analyse some key aspects of the urban transition toward food sovereignty.