The emergence of microbiological inputs and the challenging laboratorisation of agriculture: lessons from Brazil and Mexico

In this article, we analyse the tensions associated with the emergence of microorganism-based agricultural inputs in two Latin American countries, Brazil and Mexico. More specifically, we examine the ways in which these technologies, which are based on the use of living organisms, leave public micro...

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Autores principales: Goulet, Frédéric, Fonteyne, Simon, Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago, Niederle, Paulo, Odjo, Sylvanus, Schneider, Sergio, Verhulst, Nele, Van Loon, Jelle
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Springer 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/151861
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author Goulet, Frédéric
Fonteyne, Simon
Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago
Niederle, Paulo
Odjo, Sylvanus
Schneider, Sergio
Verhulst, Nele
Van Loon, Jelle
author_browse Fonteyne, Simon
Goulet, Frédéric
Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago
Niederle, Paulo
Odjo, Sylvanus
Schneider, Sergio
Van Loon, Jelle
Verhulst, Nele
author_facet Goulet, Frédéric
Fonteyne, Simon
Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago
Niederle, Paulo
Odjo, Sylvanus
Schneider, Sergio
Verhulst, Nele
Van Loon, Jelle
author_sort Goulet, Frédéric
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description In this article, we analyse the tensions associated with the emergence of microorganism-based agricultural inputs in two Latin American countries, Brazil and Mexico. More specifically, we examine the ways in which these technologies, which are based on the use of living organisms, leave public microbiology research laboratories and are further developed by manufacturers or farmers. To this end, we draw on the concept of the ‘laboratorisation’ of society, part of the actor-network theory. We show that the emergence of these technologies is currently facing a number of challenges, due to the risks associated with their biological nature and the difficulty involved in establishing production processes as reliable as those used in reference laboratories. Whether produced by companies or on farms, the quality and safety of the practices and of these products are the subject of debate, as well as the focus of scientific, economic and political scrutiny. These microbiological inputs are evidence for the transformation of the relationship between science, industry, users and politics that is taking place around the emergence of alternatives to synthetic chemical inputs in agriculture, and more broadly, about the use of microbiological resources in agriculture.
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spelling CGSpace1518612025-12-08T10:11:39Z The emergence of microbiological inputs and the challenging laboratorisation of agriculture: lessons from Brazil and Mexico Goulet, Frédéric Fonteyne, Simon Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago Niederle, Paulo Odjo, Sylvanus Schneider, Sergio Verhulst, Nele Van Loon, Jelle farm inputs microorganisms innovation technology laboratories In this article, we analyse the tensions associated with the emergence of microorganism-based agricultural inputs in two Latin American countries, Brazil and Mexico. More specifically, we examine the ways in which these technologies, which are based on the use of living organisms, leave public microbiology research laboratories and are further developed by manufacturers or farmers. To this end, we draw on the concept of the ‘laboratorisation’ of society, part of the actor-network theory. We show that the emergence of these technologies is currently facing a number of challenges, due to the risks associated with their biological nature and the difficulty involved in establishing production processes as reliable as those used in reference laboratories. Whether produced by companies or on farms, the quality and safety of the practices and of these products are the subject of debate, as well as the focus of scientific, economic and political scrutiny. These microbiological inputs are evidence for the transformation of the relationship between science, industry, users and politics that is taking place around the emergence of alternatives to synthetic chemical inputs in agriculture, and more broadly, about the use of microbiological resources in agriculture. 2025-03 2024-08-26T15:30:52Z 2024-08-26T15:30:52Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/151861 en Open Access application/pdf Springer Goulet, F., Fonteyne, S., Ridaura, S. L., Niederle, P., Odjo, S., Schneider, S., Verhulst, N., & Van Loon, J. (2024). The emergence of microbiological inputs and the challenging laboratorisation of agriculture: Lessons from Brazil and Mexico. Agriculture and Human Values. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-024-10614-y
spellingShingle farm inputs
microorganisms
innovation
technology
laboratories
Goulet, Frédéric
Fonteyne, Simon
Lopez-Ridaura, Santiago
Niederle, Paulo
Odjo, Sylvanus
Schneider, Sergio
Verhulst, Nele
Van Loon, Jelle
The emergence of microbiological inputs and the challenging laboratorisation of agriculture: lessons from Brazil and Mexico
title The emergence of microbiological inputs and the challenging laboratorisation of agriculture: lessons from Brazil and Mexico
title_full The emergence of microbiological inputs and the challenging laboratorisation of agriculture: lessons from Brazil and Mexico
title_fullStr The emergence of microbiological inputs and the challenging laboratorisation of agriculture: lessons from Brazil and Mexico
title_full_unstemmed The emergence of microbiological inputs and the challenging laboratorisation of agriculture: lessons from Brazil and Mexico
title_short The emergence of microbiological inputs and the challenging laboratorisation of agriculture: lessons from Brazil and Mexico
title_sort emergence of microbiological inputs and the challenging laboratorisation of agriculture lessons from brazil and mexico
topic farm inputs
microorganisms
innovation
technology
laboratories
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/151861
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