The State¿s support to agricultural research: a historical perspective

Abstract

This paper tries to understand the historical context in which the agricultural research model supported by the State began and was developed in Brazil. Based on an approach about the support provided by the State and by society to science and technology in general, the paper shows that the development of science has always been connected to some sort of private or public funding. The article then discusses how the agricultural research model financed by the State began. The federal and state governments are the great supporters of research activities in Brazil. However, the rise of a new paradigm of support to S&T, connected to the neo-liberal conjuncture, is causing this model to decline.