Geographies of the renterization of agri-food production networks: some reflections from Brazil

Abstract

In this article, I argue for the necessity of considering rent consolidation processes in agrifood relationships, which are founded on the establishment of agribusiness network-territories. To this end, I examine the rent capture strategies of this sector in Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil. I demonstrate how these corporate strategies are based on: 1) controlling key spatial resources; 2) integrating agricultural expansion spaces into the territorial networks of the companies to capture the produced value in the form of rent. For this purpose, I draw on recent conceptualizations of rentierism in contemporary processes of capitalist restructuring that prioritize the analysis of the establishment of differentiated property regimes. Likewise, I draw inspiration from Brazilian critical geography studies that highlight the diverse spatial and institutional structures upon which the sector's methods of rent extraction have evolved over time. The text contributes to understanding how enterprises multiply their positions to control the circulation of value along agrifood production networks.

Keywords:
Agribusiness; Rentism; Brazil; Networks; Territory