RESEARCH

Native Maize, Transgenic
Contamination, and Intellectual Property Rights: The Case of San Miguel del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico

ADELE WOODMANSEE, Harvard College ‘20

THURJ Volume 13 | Issue 1

Abstract

Mexico is the geographical center for the origin and diversity of maize (Zea mays). This diversity is threatened as economic
policies and climate change limit the ability of small-scale farmers to continue agricultural production. I conducted
ethnographic research on maize agriculture in San Miguel del Valle, a Zapotec town in Oaxaca state, in conjunction with a
study for transgenic contamination in maize planted and sold in the community. Genetic analyses did not detect transgenic
contamination in maize grown or sold in San Miguel; local seed saving practices and environmental conditions may
have contributed to this lack of detected contamination. San Miguel farmers’ perspectives on native maize conservation
reflect the ties between maize diversity and the cultural and social survival of farming communities. Understanding
farmers’ perspectives on their seeds and the issue of transgenic contamination is essential in considering the implications
and routes of transgene flow. Native maize seeds are politically powerful and reflect the uncertainty and importance of
smallholder agricultural livelihoods in the context of neoliberal policies, climate change, and intellectual property law.