Nongovernmental organizations and genetically modified crops in Kenya: Understanding influence within a techno-civil society

Genetically modified (GM) crops in Kenya are situated in a highly networked and transnational environment, where technical decisions are tied to livelihoods, politics and culture. Within that environment, certain nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have been extremely influential, driving local decisions about whether and how GM crops will be adopted, and creating a technocratic policy environment. Building on interdisciplinary frameworks that connect agency with place and identity, I argue that NGO influence stems from the creation and management of organizational identities that link two powerful ideologies: the notion that the advancement of technology is tightly coupled to societal progress, and the view that a strong civil society is necessary for an informed and representative democracy. Utilizing ethnographic data, the concept of techno-civil society is presented as a means to understand the merger of these two ideologies as NGOs negotiate their identities and frame their role in deciding Kenya's future with GM crops. Especially during key regulatory and technological developments in 2004-2005, the creation of a techno-civil society helped produce a scientized decision-making system that was closed and polarized. Acknowledging, and not essentializing, the normative dimensions of civil society and the values associated with technological pathways may help de-polarize debates about GM crops in developing countries.