# How the world lost control of seeds with Pat Mooney.

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/battle-for-african-agriculture-podcast-7332764/how-the-world-lost-control-of-seeds-with-pat-mooney.md
Podcast: [Battle For African Agriculture Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/battle-for-african-agriculture-podcast-7332764)
Published: 2026-04-29T14:15:36+00:00
Episode link: https://rss.com/podcasts/battle-for-african-agriculture-podcast/2777910
Audio file: https://content.rss.com/episodes/329720/2777910/battle-for-african-agriculture-podcast/2026_04_29_14_12_01_44c7a13a-dd64-4e36-aec4-154ca6cfef90.mp3
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Duration seconds: 3817

## Resource

In this opening episode of a 3-part series, Million Belay sits down with legendary activist, ETC Group co-founder Pat Mooney to uncover the hidden history of corporate control over agriculture. From the 1960s to today, Pat traces how seeds once shared by farmers across the world became privatized, patented, and concentrated in the hands of a few powerful corporations. He reveals how the Global South supplied the genetic foundation of global agriculture, only to lose control over it through systems of intellectual property, policy shifts, and what he famously called “biopiracy.” This conversation breaks down the key turning points that reshaped food systems from global policy battles to the rise of seed monopolies and asks a critical question: who really controls our food? This is Part 1 of a 3-part series. In the next episodes, we go deeper into biotechnology, digital agriculture, and the future of corporate power.

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## Transcript

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