Tratoraço - o alerta do campo: um estudo sobre ações coletivas e patronato rural no Brasil

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to gain further understanding of the ways and mechanisms of social and political association that relate to dominant classes and groups in Brazil s countryside by looking at the strains, conflicts, and categories of the identities present at the gathering "Tratoraço - O Alerta do Campo". Organized by the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA) in June 2005. The Tratoraço mobilized large grain (soybean, corn and rice) and cotton farmers, especially in the Midwest and South areas of the country. Their main claim was to "renegotiate" agricultural debts, but they also demanded issues related to agripolitics, foreign trade and more room in State proceedings. A participative observation in the gathering together with the news broadcasted by CAN s Website comprised the main sources of our investigation, supplemented by interviews with rural and agro-industry business leaders and spokespeople, and surveys in the commercial media. The analysis allowed us to identify the street gathering as a recurrent political action of large rural entrepreneurs and large land owners, which expresses conflicts, strains, coalitions and intraclass and interclass agreements. It also allowed for the observation of how Brazil s rural patronage interests are built and represented as part of a class development process in which local bases manifestations, meetings of leaders from representative entities, and the initiatives of rural congressmen articulate progressively toward approaching the State.