Lula and the Ranchers

In Brazil, Lula has wagered that concessions to agribusiness elites are necessary to advance his redistributive project. Yet these very elites may undermine his whole program.

(Nelson Almeida / AFP / Getty Images)

Last September, Brazil — the world’s largest net exporter of agricultural commodities — announced the biggest grain harvest in its history. Farmers brought in a staggering 322 million tons of corn, soy, and wheat, said the government’s head of agricultural statistics — 50.1 million more than last year. During Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s first year back as president, Brazil’s massive […]

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