Pathways of financial capital in the Brazilian agrarian space: elements for the debate on water conflicts in Mato Grosso, Brazil

Abstract

Based on the reading of Moore (2015) and the concepts of neo-extractivism and land grabbing, this paper characterizes an emblematic form of the realization of capitalism in Latin America, particularly in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. As concrete expressions of land grabbing, the recently established Investment Funds in Agroindustrial Productive Chains (Fiagro) are discussed, and companies listed on the stock exchange directly linked to land speculation and/or monoculture are also presented. The geolocation is also revealed of the farms managed by Fiagro and their proximity to water conflicts in the state of Mato Grosso, together with a map presenting the geoenvironmental compartments of Mato Grosso and the indigenous lands. The objective is to discover clues on how – in response to the general movement of circulation and appreciation of capital on a global scale – the construction and operationalization of these renewed financial instruments may have a concrete impact on the existence of territories of peoples and communities that insist on operating with another logic.