The kernel of doubt : agricultural biotechnology, braided temporalities, and agrarian environments in India

Genetically modified (GM) cotton, Bt cotton was introduced in India in 2002 through a joint venture company, Mahyco-Monsanto Biotech (India) Private Limited (MMB). It is a collaboration between the Indian agricultural company, Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company (Mahyco), and the U.S. based agrochemical company, Monsanto, which is now acquired by byer. The way it translated in practice was that, the Indian seed companies purchased seeds from MMB and through conventional breeding techniques, made crosses between plants containing the Bt gene with cotton plants that are owned by the companies. From the very beginning of legalization of genetically modified Bt cotton, it emerged as the seed of certitude and doubt, of truth and ruse, of promise and disbelief at the same time. Debates were already brewing about the advantages of using transgenic cotton seeds as early as 2003.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctoral

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Program in Science, Technology and Society

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2019

Author dc:creator

• Chaudhuri, Ashawari.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Michael Fischer.

• Program in Science, Technology and Society.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/124070

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/124070