Jungle beef: consumption, production and destruction, and the development process in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

The environmental impacts of the global livestock industry are expected to continue increasing due to high meat consumption among affluent consumers in developed nations, and "new" consumers in emerging countries, such as Brazil. There is substantial research on the connections between international meat consumption and the destruction of Latin American environments, but less is known about the links between production/destruction and consumption in developing settings. In the western Amazon state of Acre, Brazil, increasing beef consumption is directly linked with local cattle production and environmental destruction, providing an opportunity to examine the relationships between these processes in a developing context. Interviews, participant-observation, and a standardized survey provide data on perceptions of beef and meat preferences, and how these relate to practices and patterns of consumption among a range of groups, from urban environmentalists to beef-loving cowboys. The results reveal how the hierarchical ordering of foods, with beef at the top, maps onto similar hierarchies of status and class, as well as notions of strength and nutrition. The analysis of beef consumption in a developing setting illustrates how beef is both a signifier of development and the symbolic and material fuel for a development process in which individuals, society, and the environment are transformed and improved. This study of local connections complements macro-and regional-level research on destruction and consumption linkages by offering insights on why consumers in a developing setting choose beef, and how the rubble and destruction of expanding Latin American agricultural frontiers is hidden, ignored, or written off in a discourse emphasizing the social and economic benefits of development. Keywords: Amazonia, beef, Brazil, cattle ranching, consumption, deforestation, development, food, meat RésuméLes impacts environnementaux de l'industrie mondiale de l'élevage devraient continuer à augmenter en raison de la consommation élevée de viande chez les consommateurs riches dans les pays développés, et aussi les «nouveaux» consommateurs dans les pays émergents, comme le Brésil. Il existe des recherches importantes sur les liens entre la consommation internationale de viande et la destruction des milieux latino-américains, mais on connaît moins les liens entre production/destruction et consommation dans les régions moins développées. En Acre, un État brésilien dans l'Amazonie de l'Ouest, l'augmentation de la consommation de boeuf est directement liée à la production locale de bétail et à la destruction de l'environnement. Ce qui permet d'examiner les relations entre ces processus dans une région qui se développe encore. Les entrevues, l'observation des participants et une enquête standard fournissent des données sur les perceptions des préférences en matière de boeuf et de viande. Je montre comment cela se rapporte aux pratiques et aux modes de consommation parmi une gamme de groupes, allant des écologistes urbains aux...

On the destructive production of food: some lessons from South America

“…San Martín shows how, on the one hand, this processes was shaped by the Cold War and in particular the efforts by the United States to alleviate poverty in Latin American through a Green Revolution that would ward off a Communist Revolution; but he also shows how, on the other hand, in the 1960s local research in Chile on nitrogen loss led to the growing awareness of its negative impact on the environment and human health -a process nonetheless curbed by the military coup against President Allende in 1973. In his article, Hoelle (2017) outlines the transnational dimensions of food production in the debates that took place in the 1980s about the destruction of the rainforests of Latin America to create "cheap beef for North American hamburgers." Yet Hoelle also shows that cattle-ranching in Amazonia is not reducible to global demands, for most of the beef generated in the region is consumed either locally or in the rest of Brazil.…”

Production/destruction in Latin America

“…2014;Medina et al 2014). This spirit was evident in how the Chilean government embraced the Green Revolution (San Martín 2017), and it contributes to Brazilian cowboys' enthusiasm for cattle ranching, as they celebrate technologies like front-end loaders as symbols of power and progress (Hoelle 2017).…”

“…World food prices fell from their peak soon after the oil shocks of the 1970s to an all-time low during the 1980s and 1990s, but have risen since 2005. 2 Moreover, the bet did not settle the core dispute between Ehrlich and Simon: can capitalist production and technological innovation provide real solutions to humanitys' multiple needs for sustainable and healthy livelihoods? Perhaps more important, can capitalism avert looming global-scale forms of environmental destruction such as the mass extinction of species and climate change?…”

Petri dishes of an archipelago: the ecological rubble of the Chilean salmon farming industry

“…The industry built on the maritime skills of Chilotes, very experienced in fishing, and the processing capabilities of the beleaguered hake fishery. Finally, salmon were something Chileans, and even many Chilotes, were very proud of: a luxury product that was so exclusive that initially it couldn't even be sold in Chile (unlike beef production in Acre, Brazil : Hoelle 2017).…”