Seeds from Paradise: The Rise of Hawaii's Seed Corn Industry

Abstract

My thesis traces the emergence of Hawaii's seed corn industry (HSCI), an industry that consists of seed corporations conducting seed corn improvement. The second chapter follows the political economic development of corn and the emergence of contemporary seed corporations. The third chapter investigates the technoscientific development of commercial seed corn and Hawaii's evolving role in this process. The fourth chapter looks at structural advantages that led to the growth and expansion of HSCI operations. The fifth chapter examines HSCI's political ecology, focusing in particular on a statewide GM produce labeling bill and a Kauaʻi County bill which targeted seed corn operations. In the conclusion I argue that the future viability of HSCI is threatened more by sociopolitical conflict than biological or economic limitations. HSCI lies at the nexus of a fascinating intersection of economic, scientific, biological, and sociopolitical trends and provides insights into both agro-food networks and scientific controversies.