Growth, efficiency, and equity: The impact of agribusiness and land reform in Brazil

This paper first analyzes the nature of Brazil's modern agribusiness, how it emerged, its relative importance within the economy, and its impact on the country's distribution of wealth and income. It then examines the achievements of the Brazilian government's land reform program, the degree of continued property concentration, and the impact of the MST-Movimento dos Trabalhadores sem Terra (Movement of Rural Workers without Land). It speculates on the degree of co-existence that is possible between the agribusiness sector and the MST and the degree to which one side can only prevail at the cost of the other.