With a PhD in the foundations of quantum theory, Dr. Vandana Shiva has led an unusual life for a physicist in the 21st century.
Thirty years ago, Dr. Shiva dedicated her life “to the seed.” She founded Navdanya, the movement for seed saving in India. And the movement has since gone global. Seed saving has gained agricultural and political importance as the international farming industry has shifted from annually harvesting seeds to purchasing irreproducible patented seeds from commercial suppliers.
Shiva spoke with SmartPlanet from Florence, where The European Commission has just approved a law that would make seed saving by farmers illegal.
In the United States, Monsanto has had the monopoly on patented seeds for some time, which was verified once again by the Supreme Court’s recent rulingagainst Vernon Hugh Bowman, a farmer who attempted to reproduce a patented genetically modified soybean.
We spoke to Dr. Shiva about her newest campaign, Seed Freedom, and what role the United States might play in protecting global biodiversity.
