This paper problematizes the conception of agribusiness, in vogue amidst Brazilian ruralists, dealing with the understanding of the social relations subjacent to this universe. By questioning the essentially productivist approach applied to register the changes undertaken in areas regarded as "modern" or even as "new agricultural frontier" of the country, we seek to more fully understand the relationships established between those who administer the agricultural and industrial production and their subordinates, mapping out the web of social relations across the sector. However, our concern has been broader than the agricultural unit or the industrial plant: we aim at identifying/studying the setting of social positions and opposition that have allowed the very existence of the so-called agribusiness. Additionally, we have also been interested in observing how these positions have been consolidated (or been opposed) towards a set of public policies, sectoral or not, that have marked and continue to define the shaping of state intervention in these areas, even though such policy mechanisms have been differently perceived by distinct social groups and implemented from not necessarily synergistic government strategies.
Agribusiness; Migrations; Agrarian matters; Public policies
