This article argues that interest in women's knowledge and in biodiversity should be seen in the wider context of international economic and agricultural policies. Acknowledging the indigenous knowledge of women would be an important step towards new paradigms on sustainable resource use for development and research. In a broader context, the recent interest in indigenous knowledge coincides with progress in modern biotechnology's and a rush towards the world-wide implementation of intellectual property rights. Not only is there a need to understand and revalidate women's roles as custodians of biodiversity, this also raises policy issues related to the appropriation of women's knowledge of, and control over, genetic resources. The present article argues that interest in women's knowledge and in biodiversity should be seen in the wider context of international economic and agricultural policies.
Biodiversity is of great economic value for plant breeding and new industrial uses.
The maintenance of yields and resistance depends upon access to a wide range of genetic material. In addition to its monetary value, the richness of biodiversity ensures the present and future stability of the food supply, as well as the adaptation of natural ecosystems to changing climatic conditions. But the 'centres of genetic diversity', most of which are located in the South, are threatened with extinction. The present economic world order, the destruction of natural habitats, and the widespread introduction of uniform highbred seeds undermine the very concept of sustainable development, by destroying the options for development. On the local level, biodiversity loss threatens the sustenance of local communities, as biodiversity provides food, fibres, medicines and other products that ensure subsistence and income.