This lecture is based on Nizamuddin’s most recent book which investigates the corporate dominance of the world’s food supply.  The seed is nature’s gift and the first link in the food chain.  This life form is becoming the exclusive intellectual property of the corporation.  The advent of genetically modified seeds and strict patent protection accorded to them enables companies to own the seed even after the farmer has bought, planted, and harvested the seed.  Multinational corporations have a monopoly control over seeds and the accompanying pesticides which is leading to monocultures in the food system and the disappearance of traditional methods of farming.  Local producers are forced to buy seeds each year, thereby fostering a feudalistic relationship of perpetual dependence. An imbalance of power has emerged and farmers are transformed from producers to consumers by these arrangements.

Ali Nizamuddin is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Illinois Springfield.  He received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in International Relations.  His dissertation examined the impact of market risks on investment patterns and the bargaining interaction between multinational corporations and host governments over the life cycle of an investment project.  His research has been published in numerous academic journals including the Journal of Pacific Affairs, Asian Journal of Social Science, the International Social Science Review, and the Encyclopedia of International Political Economy.