From the very beginning, on April 26, 1973, Embrapa has generated and recommended more than nine thousand technologies for Brazilian agriculture, reduced production costs and helped Brazil to increase the offer of food while, at the same time, conserving natural resources and the environment and diminishing external dependence on technologies, basic products and genetic materials. Networking through 38 Research Centers, 3 Service Centers and 13 Central Divisions, Embrapa is present in almost all the states of the Union, each with its own ecological conditions. There are 8,275 employees in Embrapa, of which 2,113 are researchers, 25% with master's degrees and 74% with doctoral degrees. Embrapa coordinates the National Agricultural Research System, which includes most public and private entities involved in agricultural research in the country. Embrapa maintains projects in International Cooperation in order to perfect knowledge of technical and scientific activities or to share knowledge and technology with other countries.