The Making of a Pastureland Biome

Da Silva, Claiton Marcio und De Majo, Claudio (2023): The Making of a Pastureland Biome. American Scientists, Miracle Grasses and the Transformation of the Brazilian Cerrado. In: Environment and History, Vol. 29, No. 2: pp. 185-210

Abstract

This article examines the history of leguminous grasses in the Brazilian Cerrado between the early 1950s and early 1970s. The westward expansion of the Brazilian agrarian frontier was a massive ecological transformation, propelled by a transnational process that relied on a series of actors beyond the national borders, most notably the Rockefeller-sponsored IRI research institute. However, as the article demonstrates, this epistemic transformation was also crucially complemented by the ecological potential of a set of leguminous grasses that gave an essential contribution to the ecological reconversion of the Brazilian Cerrado. These sturdy nitrogen-fixing species grew extensively - and mostly autonomously - on these arid territories, propelling agrarian development in the region. However, while the successful interaction between anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic actors led to successful techno-scientific and economic results, it also led to severe socio-environmental consequences.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Research Centers: Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society (RCC)
• Subjects: 300 Social sciences > 300 Social sciences, sociology and anthropology; 500 Science > 550 Earth sciences and geology; 600 Technology > 630 Agriculture; 900 History and geography > 900 Geschichte
• ISSN: 0967-3407
• Language: English