A half-century of transformations in the Brazilian rural scenario and the governmental action

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to associate the history of land in contemporary Brazil to government action, especially in relation to the most recent challenges when implementing its policies. The interpretation of Brazilian agrarian history is presented addressing the last fifty years, which is divided in five phases of ever-growing complexity. The first section highlights the crucial role of the modernization drive of the 1970s, a historical period when a new form of sociability became ingrained. Thereafter, the article presents some of the most notable changes in recent years, and calls attention to economic and productive aspects, although equally stressing the growing politicization of current debates about the future of rural Brazil. The last section summarizes some of the challenges considered urgent, which are confronting Brazilian agriculture in these times. In the conclusion, the article argues the need to discuss and implement a consistent strategy for rural development in Brazil, a government action which still does not exist.