Appropriation of public lands, chemical intensification of production and bioeconomic alternatives in the amazonian agrarian sector: the case of the Carajás region
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21527/2237-6453.2025.63.17003Keywords:
Amazon, Carajás, agrarian economy, technological trajectoriesAbstract
This study characterizes the rapid changes in the agrarian economy structure of the Carajás region, highlighting how these transformations affect the relationships among economic agents, institutions, land use patterns, and the associated environmental impacts. The methodology, based on statistical analyses and data from the Agricultural Censuses of 1995/96, 2006, and 2017, made it possible to identify distinct productive trajectories, organized between large-scale and peasant segments, with emphasis on the predominance of cattle ranching, the emergence of grain crops, and the conversion of public lands into private areas for production. Among the results, the central role of the intensification of chemical input use — especially nitrogen fertilizers — stands out as a driving force for increasing land monetary productivity (PTR). However, this intensification is directly related to higher emissions of nitrous oxide (N₂O) — a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential hundreds of times greater than that of carbon dioxide (CO₂) — reinforcing the contribution of regional production to global warming. Finally, the expanded conclusions indicate that breaking with this pattern requires policies that limit the appropriation of public lands, promote the use of bio-inputs, and encourage technological alternatives based on Amazonian biodiversity, capable of diversifying and making agrarian production more sustainable.
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