Paraguay and the expansion of Brazilian and Argentinian agribusiness frontiers

Over three decades, land concentration and foreignisation in Paraguay has accelerated the modernisation of agricultural production, affecting the ability of peasant and indigenous groups engaged in food-crop-oriented, family farming to maintain and gain access to land. This exclusion is most striking in areas where foreign investment is concentrated. Difficulties harmonising peasant family farming and the larger-scale capitalist agriculture have resulted in more disputes and conflicts. Foreign investment is led by Brazilian and Argentinian interests, but the Southern Cone, as a regionalised agricultural export platform, attracts private investment from other countries. Brazil's government is not yet a direct investor, but it provides significant technical support for the land deals and the production systems.