based on broad participation, characterized by systematic cooperation with those concerned (Hurni and Wiesmann, 2004). A major task of sciences relating to society in a transdisciplinary perspective is to assure that the diversity of actors, interests, complexity and dynamics of the processes involved are given adequate consideration. More concretely this means bringing three basic and interrelated questions into societal debates on sustainable agriculture: (1) How do processes constitute a problem field, and where is the need for change? (2) What are more sustainable practices? (3) How can existing practices be transformed (Hirsch Hadorn et al., 2006).

Engagement with agribusiness opportunities. Agricultural research partly faces the agenda of an agricultural research system which is frequently inappropriate for the emerging realities of the often poverty-affected agricultural sector in developing countries. While production, sale and consumption of major food crops remains important, a number of niche sectors with impressive growth rates are emerging, and this is coupled with fundamental changes in the nature of the sector as a whole. New and rapidly growing markets are emerging, e.g., for livestock, horticulture and cut flowers, pharmaceutical and nutriceutical crops, natural beauty products, and industrial use products such as biofuels and starch. The role of the private sector is increasing, and with it new issues arise, such as corporatization of craft-based industries, the exposure of producers and firms to competition, changing international trade rules and regulations such as sanitary and phytosanitary standards, intellectual property rights (IPR, see below), the knowledge-intensive nature of these niche sectors, and the importance of innovation as a source of competitive advantage under rapidly evolving market and technology conditions.

Transfer and use of imported AKST. The recent report of Task Force 10 on Science, Technology and Innovation (UN Millennium Project, 2005) emphasizes the general importance for all actors involved in agricultural production and marketing of acquiring knowledge in a globalized world. A key change is the emergence of private sector research. This is partly a result of strengthened intellectual property protection regimes and technical advances in biotechnology. Also significant are the opportunities that economic and trade liberalization and globalization are now offering for private investments in agroindustries such as seed production. The net result is that on the one hand, public agricultural research systems have to consider more complex agendas including for example how to appropriately acquire genetic resources and how to establish equitable benefit-sharing regimes for those societies and communities from whose livelihood sphere the primary ingredients for corporate patents often originate. On the other hand, this also implies that research and development centers have to learn how to better respond to sociopolitical debates that can shape and define the societal preconditions that influence the amounts, use and allocation of financial and human resources available for research and development in rural areas. Technocratic, hierarchical and disciplinary-based definitions of research and development policies are no longer adequate in the conchapter

text of civil society organizations' growing participation in defining policies related to research and technology development. Against this background, an especially important issue is related to local knowledge, which was perceived as an "obstacle" for development, and is now considered an important resource that contributes to better targeted development efforts (Scoones and Thompson, 1994; Blaikie et al., 1997).

International agreements and implications for AKST. A related issue is that of the growing number of relevant international agreements that many developing countries have signed and ratified. One good example is the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), with a number of articles on opportunities for sustainable agricultural development. For example, Article 15 on access to genetic resources enjoins members to rationalize the use of biological resources in ways that promote exploitation of such resources for socioeconomic purposes. Many countries are aware that there are significant opportunities here for the acquisition of significant off-farm income generation that could go some way towards alleviating poverty, but there is often a severe shortage of technological capacity to realize these opportunities (Glowka et al., 1994). The key point is that such agreements imply a need for developing countries to increase AKST capacity relevant to the new contexts.

Management of relevant "intellectual property rights" (IPR). Management (and protection) of intellectual property (IP) in agriculture is now recognized as a fundamental task of knowledge-based development. But while large international companies have moved forward in this respect, many developing countries still have great difficulties ensuring that their creativity can achieve similar protection. Part of the problem is clearly institutional. Scientists find it difficult to understand that their research will often give rise to significant IP and that they have additional responsibilities in this respect, if only to protect the novel public goods that they have helped to create. Similarly the organizations in which they work are often trapped in a "mode 1" world (Gibbons et al., 1994) and see their responsibilities as ending with the publication of scientific papers in refereed journals. Moreover, patents on life forms create broad controversies, especially those connected with a ban on using harvested grain as seed. Patent claims for animals currently regard whole breeds.

     Therefore, questions that arise in this context have to do with the creation of capacity and related initiatives which ensure that knowledge coproduction and technology development in developing countries are as fully informed as possible in these respects. However, it remains open whether the global tendency to protect IP rights is realistic, considering the fact that numerous instances of intellectual property are based on societies' centuries-old intellectual and empirical inputs. In such situations, the quest for equitable benefit sharing may seem impossible, thus calling into question the entire discussion about IPR. The patenting case of Neem extracts (Azadirachta indica) may be quoted as an example. By challenging the patent on a Neem product, the Indian Government was able to prove that the same Neem product