3.4.5.2.2 AKST systems
R&D priorities for LAC are as follows: (1) application of recent advances in valuation of environmental services, to define protocols that make environmental protection an activity that supplements agriculture; (2) application of advanced biology and nanotechnology to production of food and new materials, that can be used in many productive areas, such as health, pharmaceutics, agriculture, industry, etc.; (3) use of microorganisms for environmental remediation; and (4) improvement of nanosystems for monitoring diseases and for application of therapies to animal or plant groups, identity preservations systems, and tracing and monitoring and environmental recovery systems. Priority is also given to developing alternative technologies that allow for the continuity of agriculture even under the impact of climate change and that prevent increases in the frequency and intensity of these effects by reducing the factors that contribute to climate change today.
     All social groups are focused on R&D in LAC. The capacity of professionals in science and technology in LAC is growing day by day, as a result of their daily participation in the global development of science and technology, through publications, attending congresses, and joint projects. The time lag between an advance in one area of knowledge and its application to productive activities is considerably shortened.
     There is a keen interest in systematizing traditional knowledge, which is massively explored by formal science under the protection of national, regional, and international laws or agreements that guarantee the rights of traditional/ indigenous peoples and the harmonious interaction between these two types of knowledge. This interaction is strongly driven by a common concern for the environment.
     All productive and economic activities depend on the continued progress of R&D. Governments and corporations give priority to investment in know-how and technology. There are abundant resources available for this purpose. Management of R&D is regarded as a strategic factor in the competitiveness of companies that develop agricultural technology. This has to do with the fact that the time span between the design of a new product and its entry on the market becomes shorter and shorter.
     Society participates more in research, since private R&D organizations feel the growing pressure of public opinion that is concerned over their power. This participation is mainly in management processes, but it is limited in the case of technological development projects, due to the specialized knowledge required.
     Public and private organizations still work in cooperation, but the role of the private sector in R&D becomes more pronounced. In terms of products and services developed, this means that now there are few species of plants and animals that the private sector is not interested in, and that are left for public research. Interest of the private sector in basic science also increases, because of its capacity to generate knowledge that serves as a basis for future practical applications. There is a huge number of plant and animal species with sequenced genomes. Functional and structural genetics also make great strides in understanding gene functions. These advances are achieved to a great extent as a result.

 result of the cooperation between public and private science.
     Research is increasingly more effective, i.e., capable of generating the innovative products or services demanded to address equally novel problems in production systems, ecosystems, and their interface in brief time periods. But the plentiful resources lead to a lack of concern with the efficiency of R&D, which becomes increasingly more expensive, even in situations that lend themselves to a more rational use of resources to obtain a certain outcome.
     As for products and services obtained from R&D, they are now virtually problem-specific or demand-specific, because they are designed to solve a specific problem or to meet a specific demand of a social group. This extensive portfolio of products and services is also one of the reasons for the low efficiency of R&D activities in certain circumstances.
     There is a sharp improvement in the understanding of social, economic, biological, and ecological systems. Technologies are increasingly better adapted to the systems where they are to be applied, although this adaptation is not yet perfect. New problems arise periodically in these systems, as a result of the unforeseen interaction of new technologies and their repercussions on the emerging properties of these systems.

3.4.5.2.3 Agricultural production systems
Throughout this period, new knowledge was intensively incorporated into production systems. Various other human activities considerably mitigate climate change. Relevant technological changes introduced in production systems contribute to this mitigation. There are also important advances in adaptation to climate change effects.
     In this scenario, companies manage the incorporation of know-how into agricultural by training their workers in the use of inputs and new techniques, to improve the productivity and sustainability of the systems. Companies also require their employees to use and check a series of practices to comply with market requirements. Company employees or partners are required to incorporate a pool of complex knowledge associated with the standards applicable to products and production processes.
     The large, highly tecnified production systems serve the external and internal markets. These systems are part of major production chains, which are highly coordinated and have an in-depth knowledge of the markets served and the consumer demand that influences those markets. Processors of basic agricultural products participate as suppliers of pre-treated raw materials (in other words, products that are subjected to some processing following primary production) for these major production chains. Virtually all the systems include new activities not in the agricultural sector, such as environmental services, tourist operations, or operation of rest homes, to give a few examples. These activities are integrated into the agriculture-based activities and serve both internal and external markets.
     The major production systems and independent producers are well organized to defend their interests, with strong professional support. Most of the independent producers manage to insert themselves into the chains and markets, but there is still a displacement of small-scale producers to the cities. The policies of abundant resources available for infromCK