ABSTRACT
This paper seeks to establish guidelines for the definition of a science and technology policy for Latin American agriculture during the 1980s. It is suggested that the profound transformations undergone by the agricultural sectors in most countries have substantially altered the role of the public sector in the process of innovation. The establishment of the national research institutes is discussed, as well as the context in which technology became an important social question. The emergence and resolution of problems within the institutęs is analyzed, and priorities for technological policy are considered.
