Author: Wolford, Wendy

Source: Society and Natural Resources, Volume 21, Number 7, August 2008 , pp. 641-655(15)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

Abstract:

In Brazil, one of the most pressing issues for environmental justice scholars (and movements) is unequal access to land. Over the past 20 years, people have mobilized collectively to demand both access to resources (distributional equity) and the right to participate in decisions over their distribution (procedural equity). In this article, I analyze the recent development of large-scale soybean production in the Brazilian cerrado. I argue that distributional inequities in the cerrado have been produced through a state-led process of development that favored large farms and modern, agro-industrial development. Popular discourse, however, fetishizes the efficiencies that accrue to large-scale agriculture, naturalizing the comparative advantage of wealthy farmers and erasing the importance of the state and geopolitical context for development in the region.

Keywords: agro-industry; Brazil; economic development; environmental justice; scale

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08941920802096432

Affiliations: 1: Department of Geography, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

Publication date: 2008-08-01

More about this publication?

• Information for Authors
• Subscribe to this Title
• ingentaconnect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites

Related content

• In this: publication
• By this: publisher
• In this Subject: Ecology ,  Economics
• By this author: Wolford, Wendy

Website © Publishing Technology. Article copyright remains with the publisher, society or author(s) as specified within the article.

• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Information for advertisers