Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation

Embrapa
State-owned enterprise
Industry
Founded
  • 07 December 1972 (Law n. 5851/72)
  • 26 April 1973 (registration)
Headquarters Brasília, DF, Brazil
Area served
nationwide, worldwide
Key people
Mauricio Antônio Lopes (President)
Number of employees
9790
Website www.embrapa.br

The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA - Portuguese: Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária) is a state-owned research corporation affiliated with the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture. Since its inception on April 26, 1973,[1] it has been devoted to developing technologies, knowledge and technical-scientific information aimed at Brazilian agriculture, including livestock.[2]

Their mission is to "develop research, development and innovation solutions for the sustainability of agriculture, for the benefit of Brazilian society".

Embrapa's organizational structure is composed of 46 centers that can be divided into Research Units or Service Units, and of 17 Central Units that comprise the corporation's headquarters. Such research centers are distributed throughout the country in nearly all Brazilian states. The corporation currently employs over 9,790 people, of which 2,444 are researchers.

Embrapa is part of the National Agricultural Research System (SNPA - Sistema Nacional de Pesquisa Agropecuária), which also comprises federal and state public institutions, universities, private companies, and foundations, which cooperate to conduct research in different geographical areas and fields of knowledge.[3]

In terms of international cooperation, Embrapa has bilateral agreements for technical cooperation with countless countries and institutions, and multilateral agreements with international organizations, especially concerning joint research activities.[4]

It also has established their Labex (Laboratórios Virtuais no Exterior or Virtual Laboratories Abroad) to develop research and prospect trends in the United States, France, United Kingdom, Netherlands and South Korea. There is also an office in Ghana to disseminate scientific and technological knowledge in African countries, to be followed by offices in Panama e Venezuela aimed at Latin America.

Embrapa Research Units

Product-based research centers

Embrapa Units whose work targets national or regional agricultural product chains.

Basic theme research centers

Embrapa units that work on basic themes that cut across several production chains, and support the other research centers.

Ecoregional research centers

Embrapa units that either work to perfect the agricultural production chains that are more relevant to a given region or biome, or to catalog, classify, assess, and conserve local natural resources.

References

  1. CABRAL, J.I. (2005). Sol da manhã: memória da Embrapa [Morning sun: Embrapa's history] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Unesco. ISBN 85-7652-035-4.
  2. Brazilian scientists turning nation into an agro-power, Washington Post, October 16, 2010
  3. J. I. CABRAL (2006). Livro Preto: sugestões para formação de um Sistema Nacional de Pesquisa Agropecuária. Embrapa Informação Tecnológica. p. 132. Livro Preto.
  4. M. Tourinho, H.H.Stagno (1992). Reflexoes sobre as possibilidades para a operacao da Embrapa como consultora. IICA-EMBRAPA. p. 3. GB.

External links

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