Abstract:
The growth of organic production in many countries is associated with the adoption, by farmers, of practices, technologies and organizational and commercial categories present in conventional agriculture. This has led to an international debate on the theory of the conventionalization of organic agriculture. However, the use in organic agriculture of seeds and propagating material containing agrochemicals is not enough mentioned and studied as part of this process. Therefore, this article analyzes the use of conventional seeds as an expression of the conventionalization of a portion of organic agriculture. For that, it presents a characterization of the debate on conventionalization and the Brazilian regulation on organic seed production; in addition, it describes and analyzes initiatives of private companies, government agencies and third sector organizations aiming the production of organic seeds for the formal market. The methodology includes checking scientific articles, document analysis and interviews. The results of the research demonstrate the complexity and contradictions of the use of conventional seeds in organic agriculture and the importance of family farm organizations identified with the agroecological movement and farmers associated to the “pioneering” movements of organic farming in the creation of new supply channels for organic seeds.
Key-words:
Organic agriculture; convencionalization; seed production; public policies