Unearthing synthetic biology food futures and the changing 'nature' of production. A global ethnography of stevia ka'a he'e

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The ground-breaking ability to 'biosynthesise' or produce replicas of 'natural' commodities normally derived from plants or animals is shaping new industrial food futures under the banner of 'cellular agriculture' or 'lab-grown' food, opening up a novel politics between people, plants and the very concept of 'naturalness'. Through an ethnographic journey juxtaposing the multiple 'worlds' of one plant known as stevia - the hot commodity touted to replace sugar and tackle the global obesity epidemic - this original research unearths the cutting-edge genetic technology, livelihoods, knowledges, cultures, and political economies entangled in five multi-faceted 'promises' of stevia. From the promise of a sustainable 'green' commodity; to the promise of a sacred medicinal herb; to a small farmer 'cash crop' for rural development; to a lucrative corporate 'cash molecule'; to the race to exploit the 21st century promise of 'cash DNA', this research exposes multiple transformations occurring as a result of the technological breakthroughs in digital genetic sequencing, synthesis and gene-editing developed in the field of Synthetic Biology.The overarching aim of this fellowship will be to transform and build on this globally multi-sited ethnographic research (funded by the ESRC Global Political Economy PhD pathway) into an 8-chapter book taking the audience on a journey across this new and complex terrain through the 'worlds' and promises of (biosynthetic) stevia exposing 4 striking 'dis/connects' on sustainability, authenticity, ownership and justice. The book will have far-reaching impact and uses for stakeholders from policymakers to farmers to industry to Indigenous communities fighting genetic resource extraction.The fellowship will also enable a range of public and policy communication and engagement activities. Key research findings will be presented at ongoing UN governance and policy processes over emerging technologies, translating the research into action affecting the livelihoods of stakeholders at the 'sharp end' of disruptive innovation and genetic resource exploitation. The fellowship will also provide academic mentoring to help shape and establish the research(er) in building and accelerating the breadth of this critical new field of enquiry.