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Sánchez Cordero, Jorge --- "Transgenic maize: the Mexican cultural battle" [2017] ELECD 1605; in Nafziger, A.R. James (ed), "Comparative Law and Anthropology" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2017) 338

Book Title: Comparative Law and Anthropology

Editor(s): Nafziger, A.R. James

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781781955178

Section: Chapter 14

Section Title: Transgenic maize: the Mexican cultural battle

Author(s): Sánchez Cordero, Jorge

Number of pages: 23

Abstract/Description:

Maize is deeply rooted in Mexican culture and has a national heritage that frames both biological and cultural bases. Maize is planted in a diverse range of climates and is one of the primary components of the Mexican population’s diet; it allows peasant farmers and indigenous communities to be self-sufficient. Recently, maize and other agricultural products have been challenged by the rise in the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This has led to a legal and cultural battle throughout Mexico, and has produced social tensions and potential turmoil. Two mutually exclusive cultural approaches are evident; one envisages the maize seed as a commodity with its different derivations, while the other perceives it as a layer of both knowledge and traditions, which have a distinctive link with the Earth.