The politics of “neoliberal seed”: technology, property, and adoption in northern Ghana : Local meets global: the encounter between “farmer seed” and "neoliberal seed” in northern Ghana

This paper problematizes the promotion of neoliberal seed and role of actors in the process and engagement of farmers in utilization of these seeds in northern Ghana by conducting analyzes ‘neoliberal seeds’. The study looks at how neoliberal seed through its delivery and promotion: restructures agricultural systems, reproduces a productivist/life sciences integrated paradigm and its political-economic relations, and how it undermines seed saving and among others. To unpack neoliberal seeds the study situates the seeds in the paradigm conceptual framework. The paper explores three different paradigms that battle for future of agriculture. The research situates neoliberal seed and farmers seed within the wider agricultural production. The framework offer analytical lens through three handle namely technology, ownership and adoption. This study explores ownership over seed in the context of establishing IPR in the country and how party involved see IRP and what it brings to agriculture and farming as a livelihood. The paper contextualise actors efforts to present neoliberal seed as a technology to solve farmers low yield gap. The paper move beyond yield attributes of NS to explore its strategic role and how in partnership with life sciences/productionist are repatterning agriculture in the district. It highlights issues related to adoption and non-adoption thus, identifies reasons for non/low adoption of “neoliberal seed” and what actors consider important in selecting specific variety of seed.