The question of patents in biotechnology may be viewed as a matter of science and technology policy, such that globalization and the knowledge society are at a crossroads with biopolitics. In the United States this issue is viewed as a matter of policies pertaining to public knowledge policy, while in Colombia it is perceived as a matter associated with social and environmental policy-making. Colombians have much to say and to control in relation to the biotechnological and commercial revolution that re-dimensions profit extraction from the soil and re-configures Colombian biodiversity in terms of rent from global germoplasm. Individuals are called to act in a creative manner along three dimensions: as political agents and as a source of political thought and actions, as the object of decisions and actions in the biopolitical realm, and as an interface between global public policy and social policy. Consequently, Colombian citizens are considered key political actors in the Free Trade negotiations between the United States and Colombia, as this agreement activates the civil society in defense of life.