If, in many economic sectors, the logic of capitalist accumulation has been implemented without facing major obstacles, in agriculture, on the contrary, important aspects related to its natural character have imposed significant limitations. Until the 1970’s, for instance, the cerrado was not considered apt for the agricultural practice that is now practiced there. In the same way, advances of biotechnologies in cultivations have overcome and promise to overcome even more limitations that still persist. Based on these considerations, we intend to characterize the agriculture developed in Northeastern Brazil’s cerrado and to analyze the relation that this region have with nature according to technique and capitalist accumulation. The consolidation of a neoliberal agriculture can be perceived in these regions in which the commoditization of nature is a prominent dimension in the process of incorporating new agricultural frontiers. This is supported by the discourse and the technicist practice of agents of the sector that aim to better control productive processes. In this dynamic, despise for native ecosystems and control of nature relying on technique are still fundamental elements in the discourse for attraction of settlers and investors to the area. These aspects will be discussed based on an empirical research that has been developed since 2011 in the region known as MAPITOBA (acronym of the states of Maranhão, Piauí, Tocantins and Bahia).
Agribusiness; Northeastern Brazil’s cerrado; Business Agriculture
