A worker holds organic coffee beans produced at the Fortaleza Environmental Farm in Mococa, about 300 kilometers northeast of Sao Paulo, on Aug. 6, 2015. Agriculture helps drive Brazil's economy.
Agriculture is big business in Brazil. From sugar to coffee, to soybeans and everything in between, the country's farming sector has become a juggernaut on the world stage over the past 40 years. And the sector's political clout inside Brazil has grown along with it, unlike its counterparts in the United States and European Union. Today, the country's farm lobby backs close to half of the lower house's deputies, representing a level of support that is unlikely to change no matter who emerges as the victor in general elections in October. With such power inside and outside Congress, the lobby is well-placed to dictate Brazil's domestic agricultural policies — and, increasingly, even some of its foreign ones. An Export Juggernaut The growing importance of agriculture is based on two main factors: land availability and interest from overseas, especially China.
