Public policy and deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon

The Political Economy of Land Conflict in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon

“…Consequently, colonization schemes in the Amazon were elaborated, social and environmental legislation was enacted, and vast tracts of land were designated for indigenous reserves and conservation areas. At the same time, programs emphasizing economic development provided fiscal incentives, tax exemptions, and subsidized credit for land acquisition, agricultural expansion, and mineral exploitation (Browder 1988;Hall 1989;Mahar 1979). Although later economic incentive programs emphasized the inclusion of small farmers, development in Amazonia remained focused primarily on the exploitation of natural resources and has served primarily to benefit large commercial interests (See Santana et al 1997;Toni 1999).…”

“…An important goal of regional development in Amazonia during this period was to enhance social welfare and alleviate dire poverty in other parts of the country by providing land to the poor (Simmons 2002). Nevertheless, both poverty and landlessness have persisted despite development policies that distributed billions of dollars on highway construction, loans, and outright subsidies (Ianni 1979;Mahar 1979;Moran 1983;Hecht 1985;Hecht, Norgaard, and Possio 1988;Hall 1987Hall , 1989Hall , 2000Browder 1988;Browder and Godfrey 1997;Becker, Miranda, and Machado 1990;Foresta 1991;Schmink and Wood 1992). It is the apparent contradiction between these prodigious development efforts and the recalcitrant nature of the regional agrarian problem that motivates this work.…”

Agricultura familiar e desenvolvimento rural sustentável na Amazônia

“…Na fase da modernização agrícola forçada, a partir dos anos 70, essa avaliação servia para legitimar a promoção unilateral da grande pecuária e das plantações de médio porte de culturas perenes, por meio de grandes subsídios e incentivos fiscais distribuídos pelas agências de desenvolvimento estatais, como a SUDAM e o Banco da Amazônia S.A. (BASA), e por meio da orientação unilateral das atividades de pesquisa e extensão rural da EMBRAPA e da EMATER (HECHT, 1983;FALESI, 1974;BROWDER, 1988).…”

Strategic Planning of Institutional Reform: Improving Policy Outcomes through More Accountable Structures

“…Yet when World Bank studies revealed the weaknesses of the program and its ulterior motives the Brazilian government abandoned it. The same thing happened in Brazil when the subsidies for cattle ranching in the Amazon were shown to be embarrassingly non-productive (Browder 1989). Now, one of the arguments in favor of the shrinkage of the role and size of the state has been that the efforts by governmental and state actors to capture rents would be foiled by eliminating or reducing the scope of economic activities in which the state had direct involvement.…”