This article examines the cycles of economic development in the Brazilian Amazon, in a historical perspective, aiming at understanding current prospects. From the colonial period until today, the Amazon has been integrated into the national and world economies in a subordinate manner, by providing agricultural, mineral and livestock commodities. This subordinated integration has led to generalized deforestation in the Amazon region, mostly due to the expansion of livestock. Both agribusiness and small producers integrated into agribusiness have participated in this process. Although cattle ranching, the current main agribusiness in the Amazon, leads the current economic cycle, the rates of deforestation are dropping. It is regarded as a consequence of public policies that have managed to tackle environmental and economic impacts; however, social impacts, especially of small producers and other communities, remain overlooked. The article questions whether this state of affairs is circumstantial and whether it may give way to renewed deforestation and expansion of cattle ranching. The text concludes with policy recommendations for fostering sustainable development in the Amazon.

No início do século XXI, a diplomacia brasileira se tornou uma das principais vozes nos debates internacionais sobre desenvolvimento social da agricultura familiar e sobre o combate à fome. Desde 2016, porém, a coalizão que assumiu o governo vem revertendo os fundamentos daquele projeto em prol de uma inserção subalterna do Brasil nas Relações Internacionais, como mera potência do agronegócio. Este artigo analisa os reflexos do agrogolpe promovido por Michel Temer e seus associados no âmbito da política externa. Conclui-se que a agenda agroalimentar construída nos governos anteriores foi severamente esvaziada e que atores vinculados à agricultura familiar foram alijados do processo de formulação de política externa. Este retrocesso evidencia a supressão do projeto de inserção do Brasil como potência emergente agroalimentar no centro das Relações Internacionais.

From 1992 to 2012, the Brazilian government, together with international development agencies representing the G7, implemented the Pilot Programme to Conserve the Brazilian Rainforests (PPG7). This intended to promote sustainable development in the Amazon forest area, with a key component being community-based agro-ecological and agroforestry production for the market. These projects, called ‘demonstration projects’, have provided financial credit to peasant-based organizations with some history of political and trade-union activity. However, by making a very selective use of approaches to rural development and overlooking the economic component of development in the agrarian sector, these projects seem to have resulted in a number of negative impacts for peasants and small-scale rural producers that remain overlooked in PPG7 official evaluations.

Development theory and practice have overlooked existing social conflicts and those resulting from development intervention. A few accounts focus on linkages between development and violent conflicts but neglect daily disputes, intractable or not, that undermine or prevent aid delivery. This article explores links between development and conflict resolution, with special attention to intractability aspects.

ResumoAnálises sobre internacionalização de terras têm partido de duas premissas: a de que a corrida por terras tem a função principal de promover a produção de alimentos, e a de que a falta de informações sobre transações é derivada do fato deg o cadastro mantido pelo governo ser de preenchimento voluntário. Esse trabalho argumenta que não ocorre falta de informações, mas sim um controle de informações que, por lei, devem existir. O texto também questiona se a agropecuária deverá ser a principal finalidade dos investimentos. Para isso, analisa o preço da terra no Brasil, e as condições de acesso e produtividade à luz dos debates sobre land grabbing, e argumenta que as dimensões de usos múltiplos e flexíveis pautam os investimentos por possibilitar maior retorno sobre o capital com menores riscos, o que ocorre no setor de madeira. O Brasil possui a maior produtividade mundial em florestas plantadas, as quais têm observado grande crescimento em todo o mundo. Por terem usos múltiplos e flexíveis, as florestas plantadas devem atrair land grabbing ligado a atuais processos produtivos industriais, e também à nova bioeconomia. Resta saber como o país irá se inserir nessa nova especialização produtiva. Palavras-chave:Internacionalização de terras. Plantações florestais. Economia política agrária. AbstractAnalyzes of land grabbing have come from two assumptions: that the run for land acquisition has the main function of promoting food production, and that the lack of official information about purchases from foreigners is due to the voluntary character of the registry maintained by the government. This work argues that there is no lack of information, but rather a control of information that, by law, must exist. The text also questions whether agriculture and cattle-ranching should be the main purpose of investments. In order to do so, it analyzes the price of land in Brazil, and the conditions of access and productivity in the light of the debates about land grabbing, and argues that the possibilities of multiple and flexible uses guide investments by allowing greater