land redistribution

Page history last edited by brian 1 yr ago

 

  1. Land Ownership, redistribution, and its effects on the Amazon:
      1. Controversy: 
  2. External Links:

 

 

 

Land Ownership, redistribution, and its effects on the Amazon:

 

“Much of the arable land is controlled by a handful of wealthy families, a situation which the Movement of Landless Rural Workers (MST) seeks to redress by demanding land redistribution. It uses direct protest action and land occupation in its quest.” 

 

 

Controversy: 

 

On one hand, critics can argue that Brazil has not developed like the US because Brazil had a very concentrated ownership of land (99% of land with 1% of people, or something like this).  Whereas the US had many private owners each with smaller plots of land...which encouraged development.  But, fast forward to today...and the reality is that Brazil benefits from having massive economies of scale in the agricultural sector (world leaders in coffee, beef, oranges, soy, etc).  Would that be the case if land were redistributed in smaller plots to individual families?

 

Destruction of the rain forest:  some critics clim that land redistribution in Brazil is patiall to blame for the destruction of the rain forest.  This is NOT because smaller land owners are worse for the amazon (in fact the opposite may be true), but instead is because of a law which scares large land owners into finding productive uses for their land...or else risk redistribution.   It works like this in Brazil:  there is a law that states that if the land is not being put to productive use, then the government can seize it...and redistribute it to the poor.  Good idea, but bad consequences for the Amazon rain forest.  THis is becaue the majority of the land is owned by rich families...and for generations it has sat, protected.  Untill now...and with this new law...these rich families must now find some way to make the land "productive", or else risk loosing the land to the government (and given to the poor). But, how do you make the land productive?  By cutting down the trees and putting up agriculture (soy bean plantations, etc).  This is one very big reason that you see soy plantations invading the amazon and much of the wild interior of Brazil.

 

see our discussion on land distribution and on saving the Amazon rain forest

 

 

 

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