A EXPANSÃO CANAVIEIRA NA REGIÃO DA GRANDE DOURADOS NO ESTADO DE MATO GROSSO DO SUL: uma análise a partir de dados secundários

Abstract

The expansion of sugarcane cultivation in the Greater Dourados region of Mato Grosso do Sul state represents one of the most significant features of Brazil's territorial reconfiguration in recent decades. This study aims to analyze the growth dynamics of sugarcane farming between 2003 and 2017, identifying its socio-spatial effects and the transformations in land use and occupation. Methodologically, this is a qualitative and quantitative study, descriptive and analytical in nature, based on a bibliographic and documentary survey. Data from the IBGE/SIDRA System and mapping from the MapBiomas project were used, in addition to a comparative analysis of the 2010 and 2022 Demographic Censuses. The results indicate that expansion occurred selectively and technically in strategic municipalities such as Rio Brilhante, Maracaju, and Dourados, which stood out for the presence of mills and a consolidated agroindustrial infrastructure. Intermediate and peripheral municipalities, such as Caarapó, Jateí, Itaporã, and Douradina, intervene sporadically, often through lease agreements and dependent on external dynamics. The territorialization of the sugarcane agribusiness, resulted in productive modernization, but also in strong land concentration, mechanization, and socioeconomic inequality. Therefore, it can be concluded that although sugarcane farming has been a driver of economic growth for the region and a diversification of the production matrix, this process has not ignored the structural contradictions of Brazilian agribusiness, revealing an economic development that is technically efficient but socially and environmentally stressful.