Endangered Maize: Helen Anne Curry | Ep. 56

Real Food Media

There is a broad consensus around the “endangerment” of crop diversity—among scientists, advocates, policymakers, and corporations, actors who tend to disagree on a number of other issues. But Helen Anne Curry says: not so fast. Where does this endangerment narrative come from? Whose interests does it serve? And what assumptions does it make? Conventional approaches to crop conservation largely center on conserving seeds off-farm in gene banks, as opposed to protecting the livelihoods, communities, and farming systems of the peasants and Indigenous peoples who developed and steward those seeds. In this conversation, Curry delves into the history and science of seed conservation—and its implications for the future of food. SHOW NOTES: 2:23 | What is the “endangerment narrative”? 6:11 | Origins of endangerment in the early history of plant breeding and industrial agriculture 14:35 | Endangerment as an outgrowth of settler colonialist & racist assumptions 19:01 | Defining ex situ (off site) vs. in situ (on site) seed conservation 24:08 | Does diversity change and evolve over time? Is crop diversity inevitably declining or can we think about crop diversity increasing? 28:00 | Crisis thinking or crisis narratives 34:03 | The story of glass gem corn 37:15 | Difference between conventional and food sovereignty approaches to seed conservation DIG DEEPER: To learn more about Helen Anne Curry, visit http://www.helenannecurry.com/ Follow Helen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hacurry Buy the book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520307698/endangered-maize ​​For more on this episode, expanded show notes, and full transcript, visit: https://realfoodmedia.org/portfolio/endangered-maize-industrial-agriculture-and-the-crisis-of-extinction/ Join the Real Food Reads book club: https://realfoodmedia.org/programs/real-food-reads/ Become a Patreon supporter for early access to our episodes and premium content with the authors here: https://www.patreon.com/realfoodmedia