Livro: Transnational corporations and land speculation in Brazil
Autor: Fábio T. Pitta; Geraldo Cerdas; Maria Luisa Mendonça
The Network for Social Justice and Human Rights has conducted comprehensive research and disseminated reports, books, and articles regarding rural Brazil and its policies’ impact on rural communities since the early 2000s. This report builds on prior studies focusing on the consequences of monoculture expansion, particularly in commodity crops and agrofuels, highlighting the innovative methods used by national and international corporations to exploit farmland as a financial asset. MATOPIBA, situated mainly in northeastern Brazil, has become a hub for land speculation and agribusiness expansion. The latter relies on state-backed tax incentives and subsidized credit to cultivate soybeans, corn, eucalyptus, cotton, and sugarcane. The escalating land prices in MATOPIBA have attracted speculators who acquire land at lower rates through practices like grilagem, leading to the deforestation of the native Cerrado biome. Once transformed for commodity production, land prices tend to soar. Monoculture expansion is furthered by foreign financial entities, particularly pension and investment funds connected to Brazilian agribusiness. Their interests align with local landowners, and mechanisms like grilagem are used to facilitate the entry of international actors into the land market, exacerbating labor exploitation and violence against indigenous, quilombola, and peasant communities. Recent research notes a decline in global agricultural commodity prices since the 2008 economic crisis, contrasting with rising farmland prices in Brazil. This disconnection between land and commodity markets has unveiled a speculative land process observed in this report, aided by studies on rural real estate firms formed during this period. The Network for Social Justice and Human Rights expresses gratitude to organizations, social movements, and academic colleagues for their contributions. A special acknowledgment is given to the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT) for its historical role in defending rural communities’ land and territory rights.