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As of 1970, recovery of the official use of medicinal plants, with the Declaration of Alma Ata, resulted in the expanding market of Medicinal Plants, which have presented a growth of up to 10% per year. The scientific, technological and, consequently, economic potential, which is present in the Brazilian biodiversity, has been discussed for a long time.
Brazil is the country of greatest biodiversity on the planet, coupled with a rich ethnic and cultural diversity that holds a valuable traditional knowledge associated with the use of medicinal plants. It has the potential for development of research with results in appropriate technologies and therapies.
Following the world trends as to phytomedicine practices, the Federal Government of Brazil regulated the National Policy of Medicinal Plants and Herbal Remedies (PNPMF) by means of the Presidential Decree no. 5813, from June 2006. This policy aims to ensure the safe access and the proper use of medicinal plants and herbal remedies by the population, the sustainable use of Brazilian biodiversity and the development of the national industry. Among the various PNPMF guidelines, we emphasize the encouraging of rational incorporation of new technologies in the process of agricultural production of Medicinal Plants as well as the encouraging of the formation and training of human resources for the development of research, technologies and innovation in Medicinal Plants.
The Medicinal Plants Sector of the Department of Agriculture of the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA/DAG) in partnership with the Foundation to Support the Teaching, Research and Extension (FAEPE) has offered for 11 years the specialization program in “Medicinal plants: management, use and processing,” with more than 1,160 students who obtained a degree, in addition to subjects related to the topic for students of undergraduate and graduate programs.
Justified by market trends, government incentives and the appeal of several students and professionals, the Medicinal Plants Sector of DAG/UFLA starts in 2013 its academic and research activities of the Graduate Program in Medicinal, Aromatic and Condiment Plants (PPGPMAC), for Master’s and Doctorate level.
PPGPMAC is designed for professionals from various fields of training, filling a gap that exists in the formation of graduate programs in specialized fields of Agronomist, Forestry and Environmental Engineers, Biologists, Pharmacists, Nutritionists, Chemists and Biotechnologists who wish to specialize in Medicinal Plants. Therefore, it is characterized by multidisciplinarity, since it will comprise the inclusion of professionals in the fields of Agronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Nutrition, Pharmacy and related areas.
The program aims to train and capacitate specialized human resources able to work in the research, production chain and dissemination of knowledge and new technologies involving the domestication, conservation and plant production compatible with the technical requirements of quality of medicinal plants and chemical-biological assessments. It should be noted that this Graduate Program in the Agrarian field is the first-of-its-kind in Brazil.
Areas of Concentration:
Medicinal, Aromatic, and Condiment Plants
Description
The objective is the training of professionals with expertise in the area of Medicinal Plants involving agriculture cultivation and management and chemical-biological assessment. The Graduate Program in Medicinal Plants is aimed at training human resources to work in the production chain of medicinal plants in aspects related to cultivation, production, processing and marketing. Most medicinal species used in Brazil as a source of essential oil, seasonings and drugs, present high genetic heterogeneity associated with low efficiency and little adaptation to the environmental conditions. The main objective is to train professionals who are able to solve the greatest problem of the productive chain of medicinal plants in Brazil, and one of the main factors preventing the consolidation of the National Program of Medicinal Plants, which is the lack of quality and standardization of vegetable raw material to ensure the production of effective, safe and quality herbal medicines.
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