  The scale at which supersymmetry is broken and the mechanism by which
supersymmetry breaking is fed down to the observable sector has rich
implications on the way Nature may have chosen to accomplish inflation. We
discuss a simple model for slow rollover inflation which is minimal in the
sense that the inflaton may be identified with the field responsible for the
generation of the $\mu$-term. Inflation takes place at very late times and is
characterized by a very low reheating temperature. This property is crucial to
solve the gravitino problem and may help to ameliorate the cosmological moduli
problem. The COBE normalized value of the vacuum energy driving inflation is
naturally of the order of $10^{11}$ GeV. This favors the N=1 supergravity
scenario where supersymmetry breaking is mediated by gravitational
interactions. Nonetheless, smaller values of the vacuum energy are not excluded
by present data on the temperature anisotropy and the inflationary scenario may
be implemented in the context of new recent ideas about gauge mediation where
the standard model gauge interactions can serve as the messangers of
supersymmetry breaking. In this class of models supersymmetry breaking masses
are usually prop ortional to the F-term of a gauge singlet superfield. The same
F-term may provide the vacuum energy density necessary to drive inflation. The
spectrum of density perturbations is characterized by a spectral index which is
significantly displaced from one. The measurements of the temperature
anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background radiation at the accuracy
expected to result from the planned missions will be able to confirm or
disprove this prediction and to help in getting some deeper insight into the
nature of supersymmetry breaking.
