Towards Indigenous Seed Data Sovereignty for Climate Resilience: Safeguarding Seed and Wild Plant Heritage in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Edinburgh
Department Name: Sch of Geosciences
Abstract
There is growing demand for climate resilient solutions to address food security and biodiversity loss threats. Indigenous knowledge offers climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation solutions. However, Indigenous agricultural and botanical data are often recorded and digitised without the permission of, or with limited input from, Indigenous Peoples. This results in the co-option or even theft of ancestral knowledge, and the exclusion of Indigenous Peoples from research and governance processes, including any benefits arising from the use of their knowledge. As the need for a diversity of options intensifies, it is vital that climate adaptation research and policy incorporates Indigenous perspectives, including Indigenous-driven mechanisms to protect and value their knowledge systems. Our project responds to the pressing need for fundamental research into agricultural, botanical, and climatic research and governance frameworks that align with Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, and being. Drawing from transdisciplinary thinking, we will develop ethical, Indigenous-centred solutions to protect biodiversity and restore the use of native plants to feed and heal Caribbean populations.
We aim to:
Strengthen intergenerational climate resilience in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago;
Advance new approaches to seed data governance with and for Indigenous Caribbean Peoples;
Develop hybrid (Indigenous/Western scientific) tools and ethical protocols for safeguarding ancestral knowledge;
Support recent efforts to reclaim Indigenous Caribbean lifeways by counteracting their invisibilization among policymakers, scientists, and wider publics.
We will achieve these aims through four objectives:
Document Indigenous-managed seeds and wild plants, and seed 'commoning' practices, through ethnographic, Indigenous storytelling, and ethnobotanical research. Commoning refers to the dynamic community processes of co-producing and co-managing shared resources. Outputs for this work stream (WS1) will include a children's e-book, plant heritage trails, and preliminary Ethical Protocols for Biocultural and Bioclimatic Research with Indigenous Peoples, which we will continue to hone in WS2 and WS3 (Aims 1, 3).
Establish pathways towards Indigenous Data Sovereignty, or the right of Indigenous Peoples to govern data about their communities, lands, and resources. Building on the findings and ethical protocols developed in WS1, we will carry out a series of co-design and Indigenous storytelling workshops (WS2) to develop a bottom-up approach for securing individual and collective rights to seed data access, benefits, and privacy. WS2 will enable us to develop an Indigenous Seed Data Sovereignty Roadmap to guide future data-driven research with participating communities (Aim 2).
For WS3, we will test the ethical protocols developed in WS1 and WS2 in a participatory bioclimatic modelling workshop. Holistic, ethical approaches to safeguarding ancestral plant and knowledge require an understanding of possible current and future changes and stressors, coupled with a deep sensitivity to Indigenous worldviews and ways of life. This is vital for ensuring culturally appropriate, sustainable governance options that withstand the global climate crisis. Held in each country, the workshop will bring Indigenous elders together with local climate scientists to explore how Indigenous-managed plants and practices can foster future climate resilience in the region (Aim 3).
Strengthen the status and visibility of Indigenous Caribbean Peoples and the importance and longevity of their agricultural and botanical knowledge. Drawing from WS1-3, we will co-develop a Hybrid Framework for Indigenous Food Security, which highlights the research findings and includes the finalised ethical protocols. The Roadmap and Framework will be used to develop knowledge exchange activities and outputs, including a policy brief and International Dissemination Workshop (Aims 3, 4).
We aim to:
Strengthen intergenerational climate resilience in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago;
Advance new approaches to seed data governance with and for Indigenous Caribbean Peoples;
Develop hybrid (Indigenous/Western scientific) tools and ethical protocols for safeguarding ancestral knowledge;
Support recent efforts to reclaim Indigenous Caribbean lifeways by counteracting their invisibilization among policymakers, scientists, and wider publics.
We will achieve these aims through four objectives:
Document Indigenous-managed seeds and wild plants, and seed 'commoning' practices, through ethnographic, Indigenous storytelling, and ethnobotanical research. Commoning refers to the dynamic community processes of co-producing and co-managing shared resources. Outputs for this work stream (WS1) will include a children's e-book, plant heritage trails, and preliminary Ethical Protocols for Biocultural and Bioclimatic Research with Indigenous Peoples, which we will continue to hone in WS2 and WS3 (Aims 1, 3).
Establish pathways towards Indigenous Data Sovereignty, or the right of Indigenous Peoples to govern data about their communities, lands, and resources. Building on the findings and ethical protocols developed in WS1, we will carry out a series of co-design and Indigenous storytelling workshops (WS2) to develop a bottom-up approach for securing individual and collective rights to seed data access, benefits, and privacy. WS2 will enable us to develop an Indigenous Seed Data Sovereignty Roadmap to guide future data-driven research with participating communities (Aim 2).
For WS3, we will test the ethical protocols developed in WS1 and WS2 in a participatory bioclimatic modelling workshop. Holistic, ethical approaches to safeguarding ancestral plant and knowledge require an understanding of possible current and future changes and stressors, coupled with a deep sensitivity to Indigenous worldviews and ways of life. This is vital for ensuring culturally appropriate, sustainable governance options that withstand the global climate crisis. Held in each country, the workshop will bring Indigenous elders together with local climate scientists to explore how Indigenous-managed plants and practices can foster future climate resilience in the region (Aim 3).
Strengthen the status and visibility of Indigenous Caribbean Peoples and the importance and longevity of their agricultural and botanical knowledge. Drawing from WS1-3, we will co-develop a Hybrid Framework for Indigenous Food Security, which highlights the research findings and includes the finalised ethical protocols. The Roadmap and Framework will be used to develop knowledge exchange activities and outputs, including a policy brief and International Dissemination Workshop (Aims 3, 4).
