Abstract"An environmental impact assessment system for agricultural R&D" has been implemented by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Agency (Embrapa) aiming at fulfilling the institutional mission statement of 'introducing sustainable development objectives in all steps of agricultural research'. The impact assessment platform emphasizes close interaction between R&D teams and technology-adopting producers, under actual field contexts, in order to improve both the technology development and the demand probing processes. The proposed integrated environmental indicators system (AmbitecAgro) has been routinely applied in technology appraisals by all of Embrapa's Research Units, as one of the criteria of its institutional evaluation system, and toward the formulation of the Social Balance Reports, annually published since 1997. The present paper describes the social and environmental dimensions of this integrated impact assessment platform, its roles in the institutional learning process for technology research management, and an impact analysis of proposed agricultural innovations.

ResumoNeste artigo é medida a eficiência econômica dos centros de pesquisa da Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa). É usado o modelo DEA BCC, cuja medida de eficiência é modelada como função linear das variáveis contextuais capacidade de geração de receita, intensidade de parcerias, melhoria de processos administrativos, racionalização de custos, tamanho e tipo de centro. O modelo é do tipo painel dinâmico, assume correlação intra-temporal estruturada entre os centros de pesquisa e inter-temporal não estruturada. Para desempatar as unidades eficientes é usado um índice heurístico de eficiência que agrega os resultados de eficiência em relação às fronteiras DEA clássica e invertida. O efeito positivo das parcerias na medida de eficiência, invalida as críticas de que o processo de avaliação prejudica a integração e cooperação entre os centros de pesquisa. A melhoria de processos administrativos é a variável mais importante do ponto de vista da significância estatística das variáveis contextuais.Palavras-chave: análise de envoltória de dados; eficiência econômica; variáveis contextuais. AbstractIn this paper we measure, with a DEA BCC model, the economic efficiency of Embrapa's (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) research centers. We model the DEA economic efficiency as a linear function of the contextual variables revenue generation capacity, partnership intensity, improvement of administrative processes, cost rationalization, size and type of research centers. The model used is of the type dynamic panel and assumes a structured correlation matrix intra times and unstructured inter times. In order to better discriminate the efficient units we used a heuristic efficiency score that aggregates the efficiencies in relation to the original and inverted DEA frontiers. Partnerships positive effect in the efficiency scores does not confirm the thoughts that Embrapa's performance evaluation process discourages the integration and cooperation of its research centers. From the point of view of statistical significance, the improvement of administrative processes is the most important indicator among the contextual variables.

No abstract

This paper discusses the current regulation of genetically modified organisms and derivatives used in Brazil, where GM-plants are on the verge of being approved for commercial use. The paper further uses a simulation model to assess the potential economic benefits resulting from unrestricted commercial approval of herbicide-tolerant soybeans and some other crops on the Brazilian economy. Only soybean has been specially approved in the last three seasons (2002/03, 2003/04 and 2004/05). As there is no consistent information about the benefits of using transgenic seeds in Brazil, the authors made simulations on the basis of the experiences reported by Argentina and the USA. The paper concludes that Brazil could do much better if government had taken the lead to clarify the legal requirements for research and commercial release of genetically modified crops which are still contradictory and unlikely to control any future environmental impact in Brazil. and international policy in the areas of biotechnology, biosafety and intellectual property.Antonio Flavio Dias Avila is a specialist in the development of methodologies on economic impact of agricultural research and priority setting, management information system and the development of benefit-cost and priority setting software.

This article presents a methodological proposal and an empirical validation for the assessment of ST&I programs, particularly for choosing indicators and metrics from a multidimensional perspective. Its key feature is the construction of indicators designed to apprehend the wide array of characteristics displayed by the many different types of innovation program. Thus it combines deductive procedures (decomposition of goals) and inductive procedures (discussion with the players involved) with evaluation results and impacts in specific dimensions linked to the nature of a given program. We illustrate the approach using a World Bank Program called INCAGRO. The proposed method is a contribution to systematizing the definition of indicators and metrics for the assessment of ST&I programs. It helps define 'what should be evaluated' in a given program. Many different (unforeseen) results and impacts can emerge simultaneously with the main subject of the program. Thus multidimensional issues and multiple actors should be considered in the impact evaluation process.

No abstract

Brazil is one of the developing countries that made significant progress in biotechnology during recent years. The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária - Embrapa), affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture, state research institutes and universities are producing the most important and more productive work in agricultural biotechnology research. The preliminary ex ante impact evaluation of the main research projects developed by Embrapa in biotechnology shows that the social and economic benefits are potentially high. Biotechnological research conducted by the institution is in an advanced stage of development and certainly in the next few years should generate new, more productive varieties that use less inputs and have improved resistance to diseases and herbicides. Because of the introduction of new characteristics oriented to the quality of nutrition and to health improvement and because of positive changes in the social relationships when the whole food chain is considered, these new biotech products, to be released by the Embrapa centres, most likely will also generate important social benefits for small producers and for consumers as well. Potential benefits estimated for each one of the five commodities (soyabeans, cotton, potatoes, papaya and beans) included in this study showed that the amount spent annually, directly and indirectly, by the Brazilian society through the Embrapa biotechnology programme (around US$14.4 million, in 2000) will generate high returns. Only the economic impacts expected from the new transgenic varieties of beans will be enough to compensate these investments. In the same way, the social and environmental impacts expected based on preliminary evaluation present a good perspective to be positive and important for consumers and for small producers as well. It should be emphasized that Embrapa's biotechnology research programme is in its first stages of development and that the perspectives to obtain more expressive results in the future are very high given the projects in progress and the effort to build a new institutional research and development agenda. Investment in human resources, especially in training in this area, continues to be a main priority and investments in infrastructure (laboratories and equipment) made recently or planned for the near future are also important and justify the expectation of significant results.

O presente trabalho apresenta conceitos e aspectos operacionais do Sistema de Avaliação e Premiação por Resultados da Embrapa/SAPRE, implantado em 1996, cujo objetivo é o de elevar o desempenho das unidades de pesquisa, equipes e empregados da Empresa, recompensando os mais produtivos. O Sistema é constituído por 6 componentes: a) avaliação de unidades; b) premiação de unidades; c) avaliação de equipes e empregados; d) premiação de equipes e empregados; e) premiação nacional de projetos e f) premiação por excelência. As unidades são avaliadas em conformidade a: a) cumprimento de metas; b) eficiência relativa; c) avaliação de qualidade técnica; d) impacto sócio-econômico; e) avaliação de imagem. A conjugação desses fatores constitui o Índice de Desempenho Institucional de uma unidade, base para o cálculo financeiro de sua premiação.