THE EVOLUTION OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ON CONVENTIONAL VARIETIES IN BRAZIL 2003-2009 CULTIVARS INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK AND AGROBIODIVERSITY MENACES IN BRAZIL

N° ISBN - 978-2-7380-1284-5International audienceThe aim of this paper is to discuss the role of cultivar protection regulations in the availability of conventional seeds in Brazilian agriculture. The expansion of intellectual property rights has stimulated innovative research on breeding in Brazil, mainly on the biotech applications, but this may constitute a challenge to the adoption of policies aiming to preserve agrobiodiversity. The institutional apparatus tends to reward standardization and homogeneity, favoring the concentration of the seeds market and the establishment of segmented forms of agriculture. The advent of biotech crops at the beginning of this century has accentuated this tendency and has also contributed to a reduction of conventional plant breeders. The extension of property rights in biotechnology and seed technology, with the establishment of patents in plant breeding and seed supply, certainly reward investments on research and innovation; but on the other hand they reduce the access of many farmers to conventional cultures, leading to a loss in agrobiodiversity