AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHERS, FARMERS AND SCIENCE

Abstract

This article analyzes the relationship between the generation and the adoption of two Embrapa agricultural technologies. One hundred and forty-two farmers and seven agricultural researchers were interviewed in the 'Brasília'carrot case study (carrot is a food crop and is comercialized in the internal market) and in the 'Doko' soybean case study (soybean is a industrial and export product). In both cases, data were collected in the Cerrado region, a agricultural frontier heavily subsided by the government. The results indicate that both varieties were adopted by farmers. Both increased the productivity, controlled some diseases and contributed to farm profits. Both were developed by agricultural researchers led by the geneticists. However, the generation process of the carrot and soybean in the agricultural technology research organization was distinct too. This generation process of the 'Brasília' carrot was a 'collaborative' one among agricultural researchers, farmers, rural extension agents and consumers. At the same time, the 'Doko' soybean was a typical technology generation developed mainly by the research organization. Agricultural researchers and soybean farmers are members of the same social class. As a result, the common factor of the both varieties was the "apropriate agricultural technology generation process" followed by the agricultural researchers.