Abstract

BIANCO-BOZZO, Mariela; CHIAPPE-HERNANDEZ, Marta  and  CARAMBULA-PAREJA, Matías. Agrobiotechnologies in Uruguay: positioning of the players around an uncertain debate. agric. soc. desarro [online]. 2010, vol.7, n.3, pp.247-264. ISSN 1870-5472.

In Uruguay, the introduction and use of transgenic seeds has become an intermittent process of agreements and disagreements between the players involved. Upon the introduction of the transgenic soybean (Glycine max) in 1996 an area of conflict began, with the scenarios changing in accordance with the degree of involvement of the different players. These include the producers' organizations with differing nuances on the subject, the companies of agricultural inputs which commercialize transgenic seeds, the community of researchers that hold the expert knowledge about the subject matter, the State and political policies that have changed with regard to the authorization, supervision and control of the GMOs, some environmentalist NGOs that have rejected the authorization of transgenic events, and the general consumers. The controversy has been subject to the unsteadiness of the prominent role that several players have assumed at different moments, failing to involve en masse the civilian society which has largely remained misinformed and alien to the debate. In this context, the different meanings, social representations and strategies around agrobiotechnologies are analyzed, sustained by supporters as well as by detractors of these technologies.

Keywords : Agrotechnologies; GMO; Uruguay.

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