Agricultural research toward the year 2000: some strategic and organizational considerations

Abstract

Some aspects related to the institutional, scientific and socioeconomic contexts of agricultura! research and technology transfer activities in the developing countries are reviewed. The discussion is of a generic nature and involves topics as to: a) changes in the technology demand (effects of the indebtedness crisis, agricultural modernization, sustainability and natural resources, meeting of the small producers needs); b) changes in the research context, as a result of the new paradigm, the biotechnology (positive and negative economic impacts, C&T organization, knowledge privatization); c) evolution of the institutional environment (crisis and adjustment of public institutions, private sector in the P&D activities, new international advances); d) main areas of strategic actions (technological policy formulation, modernization of the public technological capacity, technology transfer, world technical cooperation, environment and natural resource conservation, action in the scope of biotechnology).