Year of Award

2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Name

Geography

Department or School/College

Society and Conservation

Committee Chair

Dr. Sarah J. Halvorson

Commitee Members

Dr. Keith Bosak, Caroline Stephens

Keywords

seed saving, resilience, network theory, agroecology, Montana

Subject Categories

Nature and Society Relations

Abstract

Seed saving, a worldwide practice as old as agriculture, continues even in the context of an increasingly industrialized and globalized agricultural system. While some scholarship has focused on informal seed saving practices that continue to thrive in the global South, few studies have examined the dynamics of these practices in the global North, particularly in the American West. Informal seed saving systems have implications for the resilience of agroecosystems. The concept of resilience has become an important framework for conceptualizing agroecosystems as social-ecological systems, both in scholarship and in policy. However, operationalizing the concept of resilience, particularly in agroecology research, has been limited. This thesis utilizes a resilience framework to assess a seed saving network and its impacts in western Montana, specifically the Bitterroot and Missoula Valleys. Two questions guide the inquiry: 1) How do significant actors connect within the seed saving network of the Missoula and Bitterroot Valleys, and 2) How does the seed saving network contribute to the social-ecological resilience of the local agroecosystem? The thesis begins with an introduction to the conceptual framework, which considers different ways of evaluating resilience. To overcome some analytical shortcomings of resilience thinking, other theories such as actor network theory, political ecology, and non-human agency are integrated into the conceptual approach. The primary methods used to collect data were semi-structured interviews and participant observation, resulting in qualitative data that were coded to develop themes. The results of the data analysis are presented in two parts. Chapter 4 addresses the first question by describing the rich and varied actor connections and their local effects. The primary actors identified are seed, people, and the environment, which all connect and interact to develop a complex rooted network. Chapter 5 addresses the second question, first by exploring “resilience effects,” or the effects of actor interactions that may result in added resilience to the agroecosystem. Then, a pre-established indicator framework of resilience in an agroecosystem is applied to determine how the seed saving network contributes resilience. While the first strategy is useful in understanding situated resilience effects, the second strategy proves to be more practical for evaluating this particular agroecosystem in an efficient way. The discussion explores the impacts this research may have on studying resilience and agroecosystems in the global North, highlighting the role of resilience as a process, the importance of situated knowledge, and the agency of seed. The thesis concludes by suggesting that seed and seed saving.

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