Evolution of agriculture in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

This work aimed to evaluate the structural changes of the agricultural sector within the Brazilian Amazon biome between the years 2006 and 2017. Specifically, we sought to identify the evolution of agrarian, socioeconomic, structural, technological, and environmental aspects of agricultural establishments in the Amazon, and to verify the existence of spatial patterns in the Amazon territory. A descriptive, exploratory, and explanatory methodology was used through a bibliographical and documentary survey, besides a data analysis of the Brazilian agricultural censuses of 2006 and 2017. The results show that the significant structural changes that occurred in the agricultural sector, at the national level, reflected in the agriculture of Amazon, especially from the economic and productive point of view, suggesting that the sector has expanded within the biome even in the face of the limits of environmental laws. However, although the technological profile and structural conditions have also impacted the transformations in agriculture in the Amazon, in general, the region is still lagging behind the Brazilian technological profile and demands for technological innovations in face of the local reality.