Bridging traditional and new commons: The case of fruit breeding

Abstract

The recent system of fruit breeding and fruit cultivation faces a range of sustainability challenges, specifically an intense usage of plant protection measures, an increased privatization of former common goods, and an overall loss of resilience in the face of environmental change. We argue that a commons-based organization of fruit breeding could potentially meet these challenges. By (1) drawing on theoretical conceptions of Traditional Commons, Knowledge Commons and Global Commons, and (2) conducting an in-depth case study of a commons-based organic fruit breeding project in Germany, we develop a comprehensive picture of commons-based fruit breeding. Our analysis shows that ‘fruit breeding commons’ are a form of ‘hybrid commons’ and involve two interacting layers of commons organization: The inner layer encompasses the norms, rules and institutions governing the variety breeding process itself within a clearly defined decentralized breeding community. The outer layer encompasses the usage and protection rules regarding the resulting fruit varieties and knowledge about its characteristics referring to a more open community.