THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF AGRICULTURAL EXPANSION IN MATOPIBA

The paper finds that agricultural expansion in Matopiba is concentrated in the Cerrado biome, driven by technological innovations in soil management and soy varieties. This expansion led to significant increases in GDP per capita, particularly through direct agricultural growth and indirect spillovers into the services sector. While it improved access to durable consumer goods and electricity, it had no significant impact on migration or human capital investments.

• Agricultural expansion in the Matopiba region is primarily concentrated in municipalities within the Cerrado biome. Between 1995 and 2012, cropland in these municipalities expanded 3.6 percentage points more than in non-Cerrado municipalities, and the value of agricultural production grew 140% more.
• The expansion of agriculture was accompanied by a shift in the crop mix, specifically an increase in the relative importance of soy and a decrease in rice and cassava. The share of cropland for soy grew 18 percentage points more in Cerrado municipalities, while the share for rice fell by nearly 12 percentage points.
• Agricultural expansion positively impacted the overall economic performance of Cerrado municipalities. Between 1999 and 2012, total GDP per capita increased 11% more in these areas than in non-Cerrado municipalities, driven by a 37% increase in agricultural GDP per capita and a 10% increase in services GDP per capita.
• The growth in the services sector indicates a spillover effect from agricultural expansion, likely due to increased local demand from forward and backward linkages. In contrast, there was no significant effect on manufacturing GDP.
• Agricultural expansion led to improved access to basic infrastructure and durable goods in Cerrado municipalities between 2000 and 2010. Specifically, the share of households with electricity increased 7.3 percentage points faster, televisions 5.2 percentage points faster, and refrigerators 4.3 percentage points faster than in non-Cerrado areas.
• Unlike other agricultural frontiers, the expansion in Matopiba did not result in significant changes to local population migration or investments in human capital, such as school attendance or adult schooling levels.

APA

BRAGANÇA, A. (2016). THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF AGRICULTURAL EXPANSION IN MATOPIBA. Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/The_Causes_and_Consequences_of_Agricultural_Expansion_in_Matopiba_Working_Paper_CPI-1.pdf

Chicago

BRAGANÇA, ARTHUR. THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF AGRICULTURAL EXPANSION IN MATOPIBA. Climate Policy Initiative, 2016. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/The_Causes_and_Consequences_of_Agricultural_Expansion_in_Matopiba_Working_Paper_CPI-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=BRAGANÇA |first1=ARTHUR |title=THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF AGRICULTURAL EXPANSION IN MATOPIBA |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=July 2016 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/The_Causes_and_Consequences_of_Agricultural_Expansion_in_Matopiba_Working_Paper_CPI-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bragana2016causes, author = {BRAGANÇA, ARTHUR}, title = {{THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF AGRICULTURAL EXPANSION IN MATOPIBA}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2016}, month = jul, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/The_Causes_and_Consequences_of_Agricultural_Expansion_in_Matopiba_Working_Paper_CPI-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }