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The schema for generating knowledge, the process of
social learning and the innovation in agriculture which, it
is hoped, will produce the conditions for and viability of
human development is characterized and influenced by a dynamic
context in which development processes are the result
of policies formulated and applied based on the objectives
and promises of the socioeconomic development models. In
order for the AKST system to have a positive impact on the
changes, leading to improvements in the standards of living
and quality of life, the system has to be sensitive to stimuli
and indicators that point to the degrees and nature of the
changes demanded for attaining the development and sustainability
objectives, taking into account alternative future
scenarios.
Constructing scenarios is a methodology used to support
the understanding of the future and decision-making
on current policies and strategies. The scenarios offer a
likely vision, distant in time, of the nature of complex phenomena
and a model of how different sorts of phenomena
will evolve (social, economic, environmental, technological)
and interact. The use of scenarios makes it possible to manage
the uncertainty that necessarily characterizes the future,
depending on premises about the decisions of the social actors
in relation to various macro variables.
Accordingly, applying the conceptual framework proposed
entails, first, characterizing the global and regional
context in which both the AKST systems and the agricultural
production systems are found and analyzing the recent
history and current situation of Latin American agriculture
with special emphasis on the performance of production
systems. This assessment, along with an assessment of the
AKST systems (Chapter 2) and an elaboration of plausible
future scenarios (Chapter 3) will be an input for proposing
a series of realistic options that may contribute to attaining
the goals of reducing poverty, hunger and inequity, as
well as attaining environmentally sustainable development
(Chapters 4 and 5).
1.2 Latin American and Caribbean Agricultural
Production Systems
Recognizing the structural heterogeneity and diversity of
actors, cultures and knowledge of Latin American agriculture
both regionally and subregionally, it was decided to
consider three agricultural systems for the purposes of this
evaluation:
1. Traditional/indigenous (includes peasant);
2. Conventional/productivist;
3. Agroecological.
The importance of each of these systems varies not only
among subregions, but also within each subregion and even
within each country. The performance and impacts of three
principal agricultural systems are presented in 1.7 (Table
1-1).
The traditional/indigenous system is a family agricultural
system, primarily involving family consumption, under
which one can distinguish the ethnic systems constituted
by indigenous and Afro-descendant communities linked to
the territory and the peasant systems. It is based on local/
ancestral knowledge and is not very well articulated to the
market for inputs and products, though today many peas- |
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peasants
market part of their production. In general, this system
is high in agrobiodiversity, outside inputs are used to a limited
extent, if at all and labor is drawn from the family (Altieri,
1999; Toledo, 2005). The cosmovision of indigenous
communities assumes a relationship with natural resources
that goes beyond an economic-extractive activity: it implies
an ecological-cultural-spiritual vision linked to the territory.
(For the example of the Andean world view, see Figure 1-3.)
This system stands out for sustainability with respect to the
environment and energetic balance, with variable levels of
production (Barrera-Bassols and Toledo, 2005). In several
regions traditional/indigenous agriculture is displaced to
marginal lands and much of the knowledge that undergirds
it is being lost (David et al., 2001; Deere, 2005). In these
conditions one finds low yields. In most countries of the
region, governmental/institutional support has not fostered
the strengthening of this system.
At the other end of the spectrum one finds the conventional/
productivist system, also called the “industrial
system.” This system is characterized by a high degree of
mechanization, monocultures and the use of external inputs,
such as synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, as well as contract
labor. It is based on technological knowledge and is
highly articulated to the market and integrated to productive
chains. This system has been supported by development
models and it has benefited from support systems such as
credit and technological capital (Chapter 2). Its prominence
in the national and international markets makes the conventional/
productivist system stand out for high levels of productivity
and competitiveness. Nonetheless, it gives rise to
significant negative externalities in terms of environmental,
social and cultural costs (see 1.7).
As the environmental and human costs of conventional
production have increased, the agroecological system is becoming
more important. It is based on the knowledge of
agroecology stemming from the interaction between scientific
and traditional knowledge and aimed at reducing the
negative impacts of the conventional systems through productive
diversification and the use of ecologically-friendly
technologies. This system is characterized by the search for
sustainability in social, economic, cultural and environmental
terms; scant articulation in productive chains; and a
strong link to the market for differentiated products, especially
organic products. The systems described are expressed
in the subregions with differentiated nuances and through
mixed forms or particular combinations.
1.3 Regionalization
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is a very extensive
and varied geographic region. It extends from Baja California
(32 1/2° N) to Tierra del Fuego (55° S) and has a total
of 2.050 billion ha (including internal bodies of water) in
45 countries with 569 million inhabitants. Given its great
range of longitudes and altitudes, as well as its great biodiversity,
LAC has a wide diversity of ecosystems including
moist tropical jungles, dry forests, conifer forests, temperate
forests, tropical savannahs, temperate savannahs, páramos
and desert environments. To facilitate the analysis and characterization
of the region in this evaluation we will refer to
large geographic zones as follows: Southern Cone Andean
Region, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean (Table |