The socioenvironmental dynamics of the Brazilian sugarcane agribusiness
The socioenvironmental dynamics of the Brazilian sugarcane agribusiness

Summary/Abstract: This article discusses the socioenvironmental dynamics of the modern sugarcane agribusiness. The paper analyzes the effects of the economic activity of sugar cane production in the state of São Paulo,1 based on the region of Ribeirão Preto, in the northwestern part of the state of São Paulo,1 Brazil considered the world capital of ethanol. For this, the dimensions of exploitation of social work and natural resources, particularly water resources, will be addressed. The methodology is based on qualitative data, documents and reports of Public Court Hearing participants that occurred due to the deaths of workers supposedly due to exhaustion during the working day. The conclusions of this study indicate:the authoritarian relations that make up the phenomenon, similar to those described by M Weber2 in his interpretation of Junker capitalism in Germany, and the need to bring together the social and environmental spheres in the analysis of accumulation processes in rural areas, revealing the material and symbolic dimensions that underpin the conservative modernization represented by agribusiness in Brazil;the forms of resistance, especially those that come not only from the workers, but also from representatives of government organizations and non–governmental organizations.

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