Martín Piñeiro

Assigning priorities to agricultural research: A critical evaluation of the use of programmes by product-line and production systems

Abstract The employment of the production system approach as a basis for selecting research priorities and allocating human and financial resources to agricultural research activities has been proposed by several research institutions in Latin America. The primary purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the logic of this proposition and its implicit criticism of the assignment of research priorities on a product-line basis. In general, the product-line approach represents a tested and effective approach for certain types of agriculture, especially monocultures. The production systems approach seems best suited for situations where the characteristics of the production unit, the quantity and quality of available resources and adverse ecological conditions constitute primary limitations to the adoption of new technologies. It appears that the path to maximum benefit does not lie in the selection of one approach over the other as mutually exclusive alternatives, but rather in their complementary use within the national and international research infrastructure.

Human resources in agricultural research: Three cases in Latin America

Abstract One of the major elements of the process of generating new knowledge is a critical mass of highly trained human resources. Most of the countries of Latin America have given broad recognition to this fact and have made considerable effort to train researchers and specialists in the agrarian sciences, as a basis for strengthening their agricultural research institutions. Nevertheless, mounting evidence shows that a considerable proportion of the personnel trained in these programmes have not become permanent participants in research endeavours in their countries of origin. Some, although remaining in their countries, have abandoned the field of agricultural research. In some cases, this phenomenon appears to have reached what could be considered abnormal levels, and poor salaries are claimed as the major constraint. This paper analyses the training and migration process of highly trained personnel. It is based on three case studies, covering the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) in Argentina, the La Molina National Agrarian University in Peru and the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) in Colombia. These case studies analyse the training and emigration process as one element in a broader context of institutional relations, including the personal stories of individual researchers, as well as the environments in which they function. The economic issues are thus seen as an important element which is interrelated with other factors, such as possibilities for professional development and recognition and the outlook and social acknowledgement of research activities and institutions.

Dynamics of agricultural research organization in Latin America

Abstract The authors summarize the conditions that led to the development of national research institutes in Latin America and to the creation of the international centres of agricultural research. The authors review the modernization process of the agricultural sector and the role played by public and international organizations in the appearance of non-public research. The authors discuss the impact of these institutional developments on the effectiveness of national research institutes, and the implications for agricultural science, technology policy, and the organization of agricultural research in the Third World.

Public policy and technical change in Latin American agriculture

Abstract The article analyses and interprets the modernization and technical change of Latin American agriculture over the past two decades. The innovation process is analysed through eight case studies of various products in a variety of countries and method of production. Through these empirical studies, the authors provide a general interpretation of technical change and the public policy process in Latin American agriculture.