This thesis, concerned with ecological transitions, is more specifically set in the debate of sustainable agricultural practices in India. The chosen approach is a comparative study of two...Show moreThis thesis, concerned with ecological transitions, is more specifically set in the debate of sustainable agricultural practices in India. The chosen approach is a comparative study of two organizations providing seeds to farmers in India: on one side Bayer CropScience Ltd. (India), which promotes the use of hybrid, genetically modified (GM) crops and chemical pesticides; and on the other side Navdanya, which turns to the preservation and development of traditional seeds and practices. The primary aim of this research is to establish a clear link between belief systems and economic ecological practices. From this link, this research proposes a comparison of the values that have a significant effect on Navdanya’s inner workings and economic endeavors to values ruling over Bayer India in order to inform societal transitions towards sustainable economic models. This thesis concludes that Bayer’s episteme is characterized by its definition of progress as growth, and its co-dependence in equilibrium between shareholders and consumers that are more widely set in the Modern episteme’s anthropocentrism and objectification of the ‘other’. Navdanya’s episteme is characterized by a sacred understanding of biodiversity and an attempt to recenter economies towards women and nature in the idea that their creations is merely unpaid work upon which the growth paradigm relies. The two organizations are set in a polarizing tension rooted in the core beliefs of both paradigms.Show less
