The Economics and Organization of Brazilian Agriculture: Recent Evolution and Productivity Gains presents insights on Brazilian agriculture and its impressive gains in productivity and international competitiveness, also providing insightful examples for global policymakers. In Brazil, as in many countries, many economists and policymakers believe that agriculture is a traditional, low-tech sector that crowds out the development of other economic sectors and the country. This book shows that this anti-agriculture bias is ill-informed, and with population growth, rising incomes, urbanization and diet changes – especially in developing countries like China and India – on the rise, the demand for food is expected to double in the next 40 years. Brazil has the natural resources, technology and management systems in place to benefit from this expected growth in food consumption and trade. Through real-world examples, the book shows how other low-latitude countries with tropical climate and soils like Brazil – especially in sub-Saharan Africa – can benefit from the agricultural technology, production, and management systems developed in Brazil. Case studies in each of three key categories, including technology, resource management, and effective government programs provide valuable insights into effective decision-making to maximize the effect of each. - Provides important and practical insights into achievable agricultural options via case studies - Addresses the use of natural resources, technological advances, and management systems to create viable, adaptive economic growth - Applies lessons learned in Brazil to improving both economic and ecological resource-sustainable agriculture for other regions and countries

Brazil’s growing dependence on agriculture has positioned agribusiness in a uniquely privileged position to influence Brazilian foreign policy. Brazilian Agricultural Diplomacy in the 21st Century examines how the inclusion of domestic “national champions” in foreign policy has shaped events within key global governance arenas. Starting with an explanation of the structural economic importance of agriculture within the Brazilian economy, Niels Søndergaard tells the story of agribusiness’ participation in foreign policy and how this Brazilian agricultural diplomacy has unfolded in recent decades. Expanding on his extensive archival research undertaken in the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and interviews with key figures, Søndergaard analyses decision-making processes in multilateral trade negotiations; WTO dispute settlement; joint lobbying; transnational multistakeholder governance; bilateral interactions; and within the agriculture-climate nexus. These case studies show how a clear convergence of interests, close coordination, resource pooling, and coalition formation as part of this ”public-private partnership” has produced impactful results within the wider global governance landscape, and how key goals of agricultural diplomacy have been internalized by actors in the foreign policy-making process. Brazilian Agricultural Diplomacy in the 21st Century is suitable for scholars and researchers studying developing economies in global governance, power transitions and multilateralism, food and climate politics, and domestic interests in foreign policy.

In the last few decades, Brazilian agriculture has experienced a seismic transformation, and its contradictory facets have fed different and opposing narratives regarding recent changes. This book covers these changes, exploring the issues from several empirical and analytical angles, including the role of agriculture in the contemporary Brazilian economy, the dynamics of Brazilian agricultural value chains, environmental challenges and the processes of social differentiation. Brazilian agriculture continues to be viewed in the international literature, either through the lenses of the past century – those of former problems relating to land use and land tenure – or apologetically. This collection of essays aims at updating the current interpretations, providing objective accounting of the main transformations, its determinants, results, contradictions and limitations. As it covers the most relevant traits of Brazilian agricultural and rural development, the book will provide the reader with an encompassing view of contemporary Brazilian agriculture, including the positive and negative sides of the so-called tropical agriculture revolution. It highlights the tremendous economic potential as well as the continuing structural heterogeneity, concentration of production and marginalization of millions of small farmers. Written in an engaging and accessible style, this book will be perfect for all those interested in learning about Brazilian agriculture. It will be of particular interest to undergraduate and graduate students of economic development, agricultural economics, rural sociology, comparative economic development, rural development and agricultural policies.

With contributions from a wide range of thematic areas, this book provides a diverse perspective on the contemporary environmental challenges of Brazilian agriculture. Assessing existing experiences of governance interventions, implementation of inclusive and sustainable production practices, as well as technical innovations, this edited volume presents the reader with a nuanced perspective on sustainable future pathways for Brazilian agriculture. In many cases, actors within the agricultural sector stand in a key position to address environmental concerns, which often has generated important breakthroughs and improvement of production practices. Drawing on contributions from authors within a variety of fields, this contribution presents a trans-disciplinary perspective on the problems and pathways through which multi-level interventions can lead to sustainable solutions within the Brazilian agricultural and livestock sector. This book hereby constitutes an informed and timely contribution to the important debates about Brazil’s potential role in confronting environmental problems. More broadly, this volume also sheds light on the process of agricultural transitions in the Global South, and how food security concerns may be reconciled with sustainable production.

Feeding the World documents the emergence of Brazil as an agricultural powerhouse during the second half of the twentieth century.

The Handbook introduces, contextualises, critiques, and discusses a range of perspectives associated with the concept of the circular economy. These perspectives span an array of subjects including economics, environmental policymaking, sociology, environmental science, environmental and industrial engineering, management, international development, and human geography. A fundamental underpinning of the Handbook is that it takes account of a wide range of sectors, as well as geographical perspectives that incorporate both a Global North and Global South world context. This approach is crucial because it is only within such a holistic perspective that the circular economy concept can truly be examined. In addition, these issues are examined both from a theoretical as well as a practical perspective, using real-world case studies for illustration. Given its wide subject, sectoral, and geographical areas of focus, the Handbook should be of value not only for those undertaking research in the field of circular economy, but also stakeholders involved in policymaking, as well as decision-making on the front line.

This book comprehensively examines the development of Brazilian agriculture by focusing on the crops which evolved from national products to international commodities on a massive scale. It traces the transformation of Brazil from a country with low-yield levels in 1950 to its current position as a leading world producer. The first section of the book examines the modernization of Brazilian agriculture through a government programme which transformed traditional agriculture through subsidized credit, guaranteed prices, stock purchases, land utilization laws, modern research, new technology and major support for exports. It also explores the changing structures of agricultural production and farm ownership over time, analysing national censuses from 1920 to 2017 to illustrate the increasing efficiency of Brazil’s agricultural workers. The book then discusses the history and evolution of the major Brazilian crops in detail, starting with the newer export crops such as soybeans, maize and cotton, before focusing on the traditional sugar and coffee industries. The final section of the book examines two other major areas of agroindustry: forestry and the evolution of the pastoral industries, as well as the growth of a meat exporting sector. The authors also explore questions of sustainability in the context of today’s climate challenges, and the role of Brazilian agriculture in the world market going forward. This wide-ranging study will be of interest to a range of academics, including those working in agricultural economics, economic history, the history of Latin America and the history of agriculture more broadly.

Ever-increasing population growth has caused a proportional increased demand for water, and existing water sources are depleting day by day. Moreover, with the impact of climate change, the rates of rainfall in many regions have experienced a higher degree of variability. In many cities, government utilities have been struggling to maintain sufficient water for the residents and other users. The Handbook of Irrigation Hydrology and Management: Irrigation Case Studies examines and analyzes irrigated ecosystems in which water storage, applications, or drainage volumes are artificially controlled in the landscape and the spatial domain of processes varies from micrometers to tens of kilometers, while the temporal domain spans from seconds to centuries. The continuum science of irrigation hydrology includes the surface, subsurface (unsaturated and groundwater systems), atmospheric, and plant subsystems. Further, the book includes practical case studies from around the world, including locations such as Africa, Australia, China, India, the Middle East, the United States, and more. Features: Offers water-saving strategies to increase the judicious use of scarce water resources Presents strategies to maximize agricultural yield per unit of water used for different regions Compares irrigation methods to offset changing weather patterns and impacts of climate change

Since the 1970s, federal policies promoting migration and encouraging agricultural development of large farms, logging, and ranching have led to the deforestation of vast areas of the Amazon rainforest.Though these policies have largely been replaced, deforestation continues. What effects do current macroeconomic and regional policies and events have on deforestation and on the well-being of settlers on the agricultural frontier? This report identifies the links between the agriculture and logging sectors in the Amazon, economic growth, poverty alleviation, and natural resource degradation in the region and in Brazil as a whole.It considers the effects of currency devaluation, building roads and other infrastructure in the Amazon, property rights, adoption of technological change, and fiscal incentives and disincentives to deforest.The results are sometimes counterintuitive, but shed new light on why slowing deforestation is so difficult and on the trade-offs between environmental and economic goals.