Agricultural Extension Models in South America
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participation in guiding research and tion) and a total land of ≈10% of the total Agricultural extension activities was substantial in world area. In particular, MERCOSUR Extension Models some of the countries (demand-driven account for 70% of the total of South model). Vertical integration of farm- American land area, and 58% of South in South America: ers, suppliers, processors, research, America’s gross domestic product and extension in defi ning technologi- [Sawaya et al., 1998; Instituto Intera- A Description of cal problems and fi nding solutions was mericano de Cooperación para la Agri- successfully carried out in some com- cultura (IICA; Interamerican Institute Systems in Use in modities. of Agriculture Cooperation), 2001]. The agrofood sector of MERCOSUR Argentina, Brazil, Introduction to the MERCOSUR is a strategic sector, being responsible Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and for ≈43% (5% from agricultural com- Paraguay, and Uruguay (Fig. 1) signed the Tratado modities and 38% from industrialized Uruguay de Asunción establishing the MERCO- food and drinks) of the total exports SUR in March 1991. Subsequently, in (IICA, 2001). Consequently, the sus- Ouro Preto, Brazil, the Protocolo de tainable development, modernization, Jorge Arboleya1 and Ouro Preto established the institutional and effi ciency of the agricultural sector structure of MERCOSUR in 1994, and in each of the countries are essential. A Ernesto Restaino2 later, Chile and Bolivia became associate key element, in addition to policies and members (MERCOSUR, 2002). The markets, is the structure, organization, growth of national markets through and outreach of the research-technology ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. technology this integration has been a fundamental transfer-extension system. transfer, research systems, extension, condition leading to the acceleration of farmer linkages, MERCOSUR economic development in each of the Extension background of SUMMARY. Information is presented member countries. Such changes, how- selected countries of the about the linkages and relationships ever can only be achieved while mak- MERCOSUR between the research and the trans- ing the most effi cient use of available fer of technology-extension systems resources, preserving the environment, Uruguay established within the countries that improving physical links, coordinating compose the Common Market of In 1914, the Instituto Fitotécnico the South [Mercado Común del Sur macroeconomic policies and comple- y Semillero Nacional (National Plant (MERCOSUR)]. A brief description menting the various productive sectors Breeding and Nursery Institute) was about the history of agricultural exten- of the economy. established which was a pioneer ag- sion in each country is included along By the end of 1999, the MERCO- ricultural research organization both with descriptions of the major changes SUR and the associated member coun- in Uruguay and in South America. that have occurred within the last 10 tries (Chile and Bolivia) had reached a However, extension programs based years. This analysis allows a general total domestic market represented by on technical assistance outreach was comparison among the different exten- 223 million people (4% of world popula- not introduced until 1950 (Allegri et sion approaches, and in particular re- garding the institutional development al., 1987; E. Indarte, unpublished). for the system in the four countries of In 1961, the Instituto Fitotécnico y MERCOSUR. Semillero Nacional was reorganized and renamed as the Centro de Inves- tigaciones Agrícolas Alberto Boerger ajor changes occurring in the (CIAAB; Alberto Boerger Agricultural last decade were distinguished Research Center), broadening its goals Mby structural and functional [Allegri et al., 1987; Instituto Nacional institutional changes, with emphasis de Investigación Agropecuarias (INIA; in transferring responsibilities from National Agricultural Research Insti- governmental to nongovernmental tute), 2000a]. organizations. Clientele and stakeholder As described by Restaino (2001), today’s Uruguay has a broad number of We thank Gerardo Bergamin from Universidad Nacio- institutions associated with the research, nal de Cordoba, Carlos Alemany, National Institute of technology transfer and extension Agriculture Technology Estación Agropecuaria Alto Valle, Argentina; Francisco Roberto Caporal Techni- system (Fig. 2). This national system cal Assistantce and Rural Extension Enterprise, Porto may be divided an analyzed into two Alegre; Dilson Bisognin, Universidad Federal de Santa subsystems: 1) the technology genera- María, Brazil; and Douglas Sanders, North Carolina State University, for contributing information or sug- tion subsystem, and 2) the technology gestions and for advice provided in the preparation transfer and extension component (Al- of this paper. legri, 1999). 1Ing. Agr. MS., Dept. of Horticulture, National THE TECHNOLOGY GENERATION SUBSYSTEM. Agriculture Research Institute, URUGUAY, [email protected]. Fig. 1. Map of South America with iden- Four parties represent this technology tifi cation and location of the Common 2Ing. Agr. MS., Technology Transfer, National generation subsystem: INIA, which rep- Agriculture Research Institute, URUGUAY, Market of the South [Mercado Común resents ≈90% of the national investment [email protected]. del Sur (MERCOSUR)] countries. in agricultural research (Allegri, 1999); 14 • January–March 2004 14(1) Workshop1 14 11/7/03, 9:56:14 AM the University of the Republic, with production system. Moreover, farmers of the Republic (BROU) and individual colleges of agriculture and veterinary contribute to the INIA budget through state governments. medicine; the Ministerio de Ganadería a tax of 0.4% of gross farm sales. The The University of the Republic Agricultura y Pesca (MGAP; Ministry total budget for INIA comes from this (of Uruguay), through its colleges of of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries) tax and from an equal amount of funding agriculture and veterinary medicine, through the Laboratorieos Veterinarios provided by the government. develops independent research and Miguel C. Rubino (Miguel C. Rubino RAC members and INIA’s re- extension programs. Veterinarian Laboratory Research Cen- search staff found the application of Most county government offi ces ter); and the Secretariado Uruguayo RAC highly successful, over the past have established agricultural develop- de la Lana (SUL; Uruguayan Wool ten years, in identifying technological ment agencies in order to promote Secretariat). needs and educational extension activi- the development of specifi c regions or THE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND EXTENSION ties, prioritizing research and extension products. In general those offi ces em- SUBSYSTEM. This subsystem is multi-in- programs, and as an important tool to ploy extension agents who help farmers stitutional and may be grouped into establish linkages with stakeholders within the county boundaries. four clusters. (Restaino, 2003). 4) Nonprofi t private organizations. The 1) Public organization or programs man- IPA is one of the most important technical assistance that is organized, aged by the MGAP. This group includes institutions working in extension. It provided, and fi nanced by the private few activities that are directed to small works cooperatively with INIA and also sector has grown considerably in recent farmers, such as horticulture and fruit uses other sources of information and years and has become a very important production, which occur under the technology in developing its extension mechanism for technology transfer. It auspices of the Junta Nacional de la programs (IPA, 2000). has proven to be dynamic and highly Granja (JUNAGRA; National Fruit and INASE, another public nongov- successful. The most important partici- Horticulture Council,) (JUNAGRA, ernmental organization, is a further pants in this segment are: 2000; MGAP, 2000). This practice is example of moving responsibility from The cooperative movement has a consistent with the government strategy the government to a nongovernmental long history in Uruguay (Ferrin, 1991). of transferring fi nancial responsibility organization. Its principal goals are to Today, ≈60 agricultural cooperatives of extension activities to the private or promote the production and the use Fig. 2. The linkages and organization semi-private sectors. of high-quality seed of known origin of the multiple national system of 2) Public organizations associated with (INASE, 2002). generation–technology transfer–ex- the MGAP. In this case, the public and SUL, focused mainly on the gen- tension in Uruguay. BROU = Bank private sectors share the management eration and transfer of technologies for of the Uruguayan Republic; CREA and control of these organizations. the sheep breeders and wool industry = Regional Councils of Agricultural Examples of this cluster are INIA, since 1966, providing training, guid- Experimentation; INASE = National the Instituto Plan Agropecuario (IPA; ance and information, insuring quality Seed Institute; INIA = National Agri- Plan Farming Institute), the Instituto control of wool and meat production culture Research Institute; IPA = Plan Nacional de Semillas (INASE; National processes, as well as providing overseas Agropecuario Institute; JUNAGRA Seed Institute), and SUL. INIA and consultancy services (SUL, 2000). = National Fruit and Horticulture Council; MGAP-DILAVE = Miguel SUL also have research responsibilities; 3) Public organizations that are not as- C. Rubino Veterinarian Laboratory IPA’s responsibility