Land grabbing in Matopiba: the invisible actors of the territory
Territory. Land Market. Land Foreignization. Agricultural Frontiers.
The agricultural expansion in Matopiba (acronym for the Brazilian states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí, and Bahia), driven by government policies (federal and state levels) and international capital, is reshaping the spatial, social, and commercial dynamics of the region, alongside the appropriation of land and nature by foreign entities. With the aim of identifying foreign actors involved in the agrarian process of Matopiba between the years 2013-2021, and to create an online WebMapping platform to bring accessibility, transparency, and interactivity to public geospatial data related to the land market in this region. In this research, we employed the methodological strategies i) Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) for the collection, storage, and analysis of public information; ii) systemic approach, which according to Miguel, Mazoyer, and Roudart (2009) is used for the analysis of complex systems. The analyzed data were extracted from the DATALUTA-Foreignization database, the National Rural Cadastre System (SNCR), and the NGO Grain. For analytical purposes, the theoretical framework relies on discussions about territory (FERNANDES, 2009; FERNANDES, 2013; CECEÑA, 2008), processes of capital expansion in the countryside (SILVA, 2016; ELIAS, 2002; ALBANO, 2005), land foreignization (LEITE; LIMA, 2017; PEREIRA, 2022; FAIRBAIRN, 2015), agricultural frontiers (SANTOS; SANO, 2015; MARTINS, 1996; FERNANDES; FREDERICO; PEREIRA, 2019; MARTINS, 2003). The results of this research point out among the states of Matopiba, in the period from 2013 to 2020, according to DATALUTA Foreignization (2013-2020), Bahia was the territory with the highest recurrence of transnational companies, with diversified and consolidated land uses. Regarding land use, attention is drawn to alternative energies (solar and wind energy) concentrated in Bahia and southwest Piauí, with investments originating from Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Norway. Land use in Tocantins presents diversified behavior with grain production in rotation and commercialization of fruits and tree monocultures. The SNCR database shows a diversification of nationalities in the municipalities that make up Matopiba, especially in the municipalities of Palmas – TO, Lizarda – TO, São Desidério – BA, and Correntina – BA.