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88 | Latin America and the Caribbean Report

Table 2-2. Factors that condition AKST’s potential for developing more productive, sustainable and equitable systems.

Type of factor Description
Political Lack of linkages between AKST systems and public policies—macroeconomic, commercial, financial, environmental, and related to access to markets, education, and information.
Lack of policies to promote and support AKST.
Lack of vision on the strategic role of the sector.
Regulatory insecurity.
Institutional Lack of cooperation in national, regional and international AKST networks.

Lack of strategic plans and AKST participation in the same.
Ageing of scientists and technicians and lack of human-resource policies within the system.
Lack of balance in human resources with regard to interdisciplinary, intercultural, and gender issues.
Lack of linkages between research and technology transfer.
Economic Reduction of public investment in AKST.
Insufficient private investment in AKST.
Social Lack of acknowledgement of the importance and impact of AKST among the general population (reflected in little public investment in AKST).

Lack of participation of social actors in defining the agenda and management of AKST Systems.

Source: Authors’ elaboration

Table 2-3. Most important impacts of AKST Systems in Latin America.

Aspects Positive Impacts Negative Impacts and Risks
Productive
  • Improvement in crop and animal production yields by surface and water quantity, mainly in conventional production systems.
  • Development of new varieties and races that are resistant to diseases and adapted to different agro-ecological conditions.
  • Development of safer and higher-quality products.
  • Generation of new agricultural technologies.
  • Loss of agro-biodiversity.
  • Loss of soil fertility.
  • Loss of productive systems’ resilience.
  • Negative impacts on health due to lack of hygiene and on-the-job safety.
Economic
  • Reduction in production costs.
  • Reduction in food prices, particularly for basic food items.
  • Increase in the income and profits of conventional farmers.
  • Increase in countries’ GDP and exports.
  • Access to new markets for traditional, indigenous, and agro-ecological farmers.
  • Reductions in employment.
  • Migration.
  • Concentration of profits.
  • Lower incomes for traditional or indigenous farmers.
Ecological
  • Soil and water conservation in some production systems.
  • Generation of less polluting agrochemicals.
  • Loss of agro-biodiversity and wildlife biodiversity.
  • Contamination of water and soils by agrochemicals.
  • Contributions to climate change.
Social
  • Improvements in the social conditions of conventional and agro-ecological producers.
  • Little impact on the social conditions of traditional and indigenous producers.
  • A devaluation of local knowledge.

Source: Authors’ elaboration.

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