Genetically modified seeds and the de-commodification of primary goods

SZTULWARK, SEBASTIÁN; GIRARD, MELISA

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

Inderscience Publishers

Lugar: Olney; Año: 2016 vol. 14 p. 132 - 150

0963-6048

Primary goods have long been considered undifferentiated productsthat are subject to a low income elasticity of demand. This state of affairs isbeginning to change, but the scale and nature of the process is still beingdebated. This study contributes to this debate by presenting a historical analysisof the innovation path that genetically modified seeds have been following atthe global level. Our analysis reveals that the difficulties preventing thede-commodification process from moving forward do not lie at thetechnological level, where a series of highly significant product innovationshave taken place. Instead, they centre on the great uncertainty generated by thisradical innovation that implies new linkages between science and the market, inthe context of an increasingly complex consumption pattern.