Beyond the dualities: a nuanced understanding of Brazilian soybean producers

Abstract

Brazil has become one of the main agricultural commodity and food exporters in the world and countries of the Middle East are part of its consumer market. On the other hand, the increasing demand coming from these countries impacts the type of farming practices and categories taking place in Brazil. In many cases, commodity production is associated with the agribusiness model, criticized for its social and environmental costs. In this context, it is important to unveil who are responsible for production of commodities and what is behind the concept of agribusiness farming in Brazil. This paper aims at describing and discussing a more nuanced and multifaceted notion of soybean producers in the light of an empirical study conducted in Canarana at the Upper Xingu river basin, in the state of Mato Grosso. Land tenure, scale, and production models contribute to defining the farming categories in place. In this particular region, medium size farms prevail over large ones as a consequence of the type of colonization of the land as well as for historical reasons. This work suggests that, to understand the social dynamics taking place at an agricultural frontier, one has to break from the dichotomies that separate groups on opposite sides and recognize the heterogeneity that comprises farming categories in a food-export country, such as Brazil. This understanding will thus help to identify and formulate future public policies and strategies that can contribute to ensuring food availability as well as good quality of both life and the environment in an increasingly interconnected world.