Notes on soybean production and territorial dynamics in Roraima

Abstract

The expansion of soybean cultivation in Roraima as a vector for productive reconfiguration and expression of a new phase of agricultural capital in the Amazon raises issues that require an understanding of the multiple dimensions of the associated territorial transformations. The objective of this article is to critically discuss these changes based on the spatialization of soybean production in the municipal network of Roraima, using data from the IBGE Automatic Recovery System (SIDRA). The study is based on a survey of quantitative secondary data, such as planted area and production, as well as qualitative data related to the structural dynamics of agricultural production. The results show that the expansion of soybeans in Roraima is paralleled by the modernization of production and the redefinition of land use. The state plays a leading role in creating the material and regulatory conditions for agribusiness to take over the space, contrary to the thesis that the advance of soybeans is exclusively due to the actions of the private sector. This model reiterates patterns of reprimarization of the Brazilian economy and reinforces the country's subordinate insertion in the global market. Alto Alegre, Boa Vista, Cantá, and Bonfim are the main soybean producers in the municipal network. In 2004, soybean cultivation was introduced in the state on a more substantial scale, with 12,000 hectares planted. From 2013 onwards, the activity expanded with the help of public policies, and in 2024, soybeans accounted for 53% of the state's exports.