International Center
427 N Shaw Ln, East Lansing, MI 48824
USA
C4I regrets to announce that due to the Covid 19 concerns, the March 13 lecture by Krista Isaacs has been postponed. A new date in Fall 2020 will be announced once it is scheduled.
Brokering power and access: Case studies from Mali and India at the intersection of gender and seed systems
Krista Isaacs, Assistant Professor of International Seed Systems, Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences
Seed systems often fail smallholder farmers and particularly the marginalized groups within, such as women or individuals of lower social status. Access and availability barriers to preferred varieties of high-quality seed limit crop productivity, the principle livelihood source for these groups. Despite decades of work to mainstream gender in agricultural development, economic empowerment of women has not always led to structural improvements in women’s livelihoods and the social and institutional power structures in societies often reinforce inequalities that hinder social development. Drawing on two case studies from Mali and India, this talk will explore how interdisciplinary approaches to agriculture research and development, that focus on cooperatives and social networks, enabled farmers access to high-quality seed, and in some cases, led to social and economic empowerment.
Talk begins at 12:00 and runs about 1 hour. Networking with coffee and refreshments immediately after the talk.
About C4I: The Michigan State University Center for Interdisciplinarity (C4I) advances interdisciplinary research and pedagogy at the University while preparing the next generation of citizen leaders to address the most challenging questions of our time. In addition to conducting its own research, C4I serves as a resource for faculty, postdocs, and graduate students in the College of Arts & Letters and across campus, as well as for partners in the local community and across the region. It also serves as an advocate for researchers and scholars, consults with teams, provides resources for and about interdisciplinarity, and creates opportunities for training, education, networking, mentorship, visibility, and funding both on and off campus.