Expansion de l’ agribusiness sucro-énergétique au Brésil et modèles de développement : le cas de la région de Dourados (État du Mato Grosso do Sul)

The production of sugarcane has increased significantly over the past decade in Brazil. Due to a favorable international environment in commodity markets and on a background of environmental and energy crisis, sucro-energy sector is undergoing substantial investment. Production volumes are up, the area under cultivation has nearly doubled in just ten years. From a geographical point of view, the intensification of production methods is remarkable in the traditional areas as well as the spatial expansion of the cane to areas previously devoted to other activities. The Dourados region in the southern state of Mato Grosso do Sul, is the scene of the advance of the cane agricultural frontier. Apart from changes in land use, this process creates tensions or conflicts in addition to existing ones, which are to be linked with the globalization process. The article attempts to link these phenomena and to show how these industries localise and act in the local spaces.