Just out: Knowledge Work as a Condition of Accumulation in the Pesticide Industry: Syngenta’s Defence of Paraquat

Kees Jansen’s study reveals how agrochemical firms rely on corporate ‘knowledge work’ as a fundamental driver of capital accumulation, rather than as mere peripheral public relations. This knowledge work ranges from internal scientific experiments to strategic doubt manufacturing. Analysing Syngenta’s decades-long defence of the highly controversial herbicide paraquat, the paper demonstrates how industry-backed research, regulatory standard-setting, and selective ignorance work in tandem to keep hazardous chemicals profitable on store shelves despite severe health and environmental critiques.

Open access, Journal of Agrarian Change: https://doi.org/10.1111/joac.70115