Democratizar la bioseguridad en territorios con diversidad biocultural: la apuesta por una alianza de saberes en México

Abstract

The article focuses on the limitations to citizen participation that the Mexican government has historically imposed in its biosafety regulations and biotechnology policies. It also describes the resistances and creative proposals undertaken by peasants, Indigenous people, scientists and activists concerned about the crop expansion of genetically modified corn and soybean in territories with bio-cultural diversity. Far from assuming an approach that opposes non-academic knowledge to scientific knowledge, our standpoint emphasizes the alliances of knowledge and learnings among multiple actors that make up civil society who advocate for a more democratic and locally anchored biosafety in those territories characterized by their variety and richness in flora, fauna and livelihoods. The article also highlights the contributions that peasants and Indigenous peoples can make, from their territorial knowledge to biosafety democratization, conceived in broader terms than those merely established by law. It also reflects on the challenges and opportunities posed by GMOs citizen biomonitoring, and the controversies that this generates.