Controllable Development of the Food Sector in Tropical Areas: Main Challenges,Fields of Research and Research Procedures

Abstract

Half a century of agronomic research has shown that the problem of food sufficiency cannot be defined simply in terms of chasing after a constantly rising demographic curve and proposing more productive crop varieties. New priorities have emerged which are not solely production-oriented. The key issues in today's debate are urbanization, globalization, disparity and poverty, health risks, long-term planning, social control of technology, identity, and ethics. An analysis of these issues reveals that one of the crucial questions for the future of the planet is the relationship between production and consumption, in other words the food sector. In tropical countries the food sector is still regarded as being less important a field of research than agriculture, although these days its importance tends to be better understood. In this situation, it seems appropriate to learn from the directions followed in the past and the new approaches adopted over recent years. This diagnosis serves as a background against which to examine possible new fields of research. It also indicates the need for a reform of current research and development practices and an expansion of scientific resources in the South.