Globalization of agribusiness and use of territory: the strategies of El Tejar Group in the Brazilian territory

• Grant number: 14/20502-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2015
• End date: April 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Geography - Human Geography
• Principal Investigator: Fabrício Gallo
• Grantee: Felipe Berenschot Pereira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas (IGCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Since the 2000s, changes in food, energy, and global financial context have given a new boost to the demand for agricultural commodities. The economic growth in some Asian countries - in particular China - the search for new energy sources such as biofuels and the growing interest of financial investors in the valuation of land are among the key events responsible for these transformations. In this context, we highlight the strategies and partnerships held by some Argentine companies to expand their range and scope of activities, both in their home country and in other South American countries, such as the Brazilian case. Among its strategies, we emphasize the various forms of land control, the relationship with financial capital and risk management, as well as ongoing technological innovation and the appreciation of scientific knowledge as a productive factor. Thus, this research aims to analyze the strategies of use of Brazilian territory by the Argentine company El Tejar. In an attempt to grasp and describe their strategies, the research approach involves three main aspects: a) the alliances between El Tejar and private international finance capital, in particular, with private equity firms and mutual funds; b) the purchase and lease of land in different regions and countries as a strategy of capital and risk management and the linkages and partnerships with local Brazilian producers and c) forms of adaptation to Brazilian normative and political-territorial specificities.