Contrasting narratives of change? Recent approaches in seed system development

This study critically examines the narratives driving seed system development within two large-scale research programs: Integrated Seed Sector Development (ISSD) Africa and the NL-CGIAR Research Program. Seeds hold the potential to make significant contributions to strengthen the resilience of farming systems, mitigate and adapt to climate change, provide nutritious diets, and reduce poverty, making the seed system development a central aspect of agricultural development. However, the pursuit of this multitude of goals often involves trade-offs, leading to different approaches to seed system development. We question the extent to which the environmental and participation agendas have actually changed framings and priorities, or to what extent the neoliberal discourse still dominates this field. We start our analysis by identifying ‘memes’—the basic units of meaning in stories, narratives, and discourses—based on their recurrence in discussions during the concluding conferences of both research programs. We identified seven key pairs of, seemingly contrasting, memes central to seed system development. Through further analysis of written synthesis documents we describe how these memes are given meaning within stories and how they are woven together in a narrative. We integrate these narratives with insights from relevant literature, drawing connections between the identified memes and the larger discourse on seed system development. At each pair of memes, our findings show that there is agreement on overarching objectives, while differences arise regarding the problems and solutions. However, when closely examining the meaning of key memes, we find that these narratives are locked in the neoliberal discourse. These finding suggest that, despite the apparent diversity of narratives, the participation and environmental agendas are often leveraged to optimize and reinforce the neoliberal discourse rather than to foster narratives embedded in alternative discourses. Our findings provide a critical reflection on seed system transformation and contribute to the wider debate of sustainable and inclusive agricultural development. • We critically examining the narratives driving seed system transformation. • We identified seven pairs of contrasting memes central to seed system development. • The meaning of these memes in seed system development is analysed. • Sustainable/participatory agendas are leveraged to optimize the neoliberal discourse. • The analytical use of memes reveals their role in shaping research and policy agendas.