Within the phenomenon agrobiodiversity the nexus of “nature”, “society” and “gender” becomes obvious. The three categories are intertwined with each other on a material level (e.g. regarding the cultivation or breeding of agrobiodiversity), a symbolical level (e.g. regarding the metaphorical equation of women and nature) and a normative level (e.g. regarding sustainability as a development goal).
In our paper we look at agrobiodiversity as an example for nature-gender-relations and develop an analytic perspective on separation, integration and sustainable development that is theoretically based on the feminist concept of (re)productivity. Therefore we start from the theoretical and empirical observations that first nature-gender-relations in the field of agrobiodiversity are characterized by separations and that second the sustainable development paradigm does not consequently lead towards integration, despite its claim for bringing together different ecological, economic and social needs. We focus on two separation-processes:

1. On the subject of nature sustainable development leads to a sensitization. Thus nature is either conserved or used. In terms of agrobiodiversity the separation between conservation and use becomes fragile because the use of agrobiodiversity in agriculture is an essential condition for its conservation.

2. On the subject of gender sustainable development leads to a professionalization of traditional female fields of work. Thus work is either reproductive subsistence production or production of goods. In terms of agrobiodiversity the reproductive subsistence production and the production of goods are strongly related to each other, because both are essential to create and maintain agrobiodiversity.

Regarding processes of separation and integration within the agrarian change, we demonstrate from a (re)productive perspective how the categories nature and gender are related to each other. Finally we discuss in what way nature-gender-relations have to be organized in a multifunctional agriculture that aims to be sustainable.

Vortrag im Rahmen der Working Group Nr. 71 zu "The social organization of agrobiodiversity – Reconfiguring gender-relations in times of environmental crisis"