A review of The Political Economy of Agribusiness: A Critical Development Perspective

Authors

  • Nil Alt University of Toronto

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15353/cfs-rcea.v11i3.711

Keywords:

Agribusiness, Brazil, critical agricultural development, financialization of farmland, food sovereignty, political economy, rural resistance

Abstract

Maria Luisa Mendonça's recent book, The Political Economy of Agribusiness: A Critical Development Perspective, challenges the idea that agribusiness is an inevitable evolutionary process. Using a Marxist perspective, the book examines the historical development and consequences of industrial agriculture, particularly in Brazil. The author focusses on the role of international financial capital in expanding sugarcane plantations for ethanol production, contributing to land grabbing, rural displacement and deforestation. Finally, Mendonça offers examples of rural resistance led by peasant and Indigenous communities of Brazil and calls for sustainable and equitable agricultural practices, advocating for agrarian reform and food sovereignty.

Author Biography

Nil Alt, University of Toronto

Nil Alt received her master’s degree in Geography, Planning and Environment from Concordia University, Montreal in 2017. In the same year, she started her doctoral studies in Human Geography in the Department of Geography & Planning at the University of Toronto. Her doctoral research focusses on uneven development, political economy of food and agriculture, rural change, and feminist labour studies.

A closeup of lemons and oranges on a blue and white platter

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Published

2024-12-17

How to Cite

Alt, N. (2024). A review of The Political Economy of Agribusiness: A Critical Development Perspective. Canadian Food Studies La Revue Canadienne Des études Sur l’alimentation, 11(3), 142–144. https://doi.org/10.15353/cfs-rcea.v11i3.711

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 3 (2024): Pathways to decolonial governance and planetary health

Section

Book/Art/Event Reviews

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Nil Alt

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