Andrew Ofstehage, an economic and environmental anthropologist, dives into the world of transnational farming in Brazil. He discusses how U.S. Midwest farmers flock to Brazil, turning traditional practices into industrial models, raising questions about sustainability. The challenges these farmers face include navigating local cultures and regulatory hurdles while managing 'flexible farms.' Ofstehage highlights the tensions between profit-driven practices and community connections, revealing fascinating insights into the dynamics of globalized agriculture.
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insights INSIGHT
Soylandia Defined and Explained
Soylandia represents a globally expanding zone of intense soy production with flexible farming practices.
It disconnects traditional farm units like land, crops, and labor to maximize adaptability and profit across borders.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Midwest Farmers Move to Brazil
Young U.S. Midwest farmers moved to Brazil due to expensive land and limited opportunities at home.
They sought cheaper land, adventure, and some had religious or evangelical motivations.
insights INSIGHT
Investment Dynamics Behind Moves
These farmers financed their Brazilian farms mainly through pooled investments from local U.S. farmers.
The investments blended production goals with speculative hopes for massive land appreciation.
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Welcome to Soylandia, Transnational Farmers in the Brazilian Cerato
Welcome to Soylandia, Transnational Farmers in the Brazilian Cerato
Transnational Farmers in the Brazilian Cerrado
Andrew Ofstehage
Andrew Ofstehage's "Welcome to Soylandia" offers a compelling ethnography of US Midwest farmers who migrated to Brazil's Cerrado region for industrial farming. The book explores the creation of 'flexible farms,' characterized by severed connections between land, plants, and labor. It examines the challenges faced by these farmers in adapting to a new environment and navigating complex relationships with workers, the Brazilian state, and the land itself. Ofstehage's work highlights the tensions between profit-driven agriculture and sustainable practices, raising crucial questions about the future of global food production and environmental stewardship. The book provides a nuanced understanding of the complexities of industrial agriculture in a globalized world.
Following a group of US Midwest farmers who purchased tracts of land in the tropical savanna of eastern Brazil, Welcome to Soylandia: Transnational Farmers in the Brazilian Cerrado (Cornell University Press, 2025) by Dr. Andrew Ofstehage investigates industrial farming in the modern developing world. Seeking adventure and profit, the transplanted farmers created what Dr. Ofstehage calls "flexible farms" that have severed connections with the basic units of agriculture: land, plants, and labor. But while the transnational farmers have destroyed these relationships, they cannot simply do as they please. Regardless of their nationality, race, and capital, they must contend with pests, workers, the Brazilian state, and the land itself.
Welcome to Soylandia explores the frictions that define the new relationships of flexible farming—a paradigm that Dr. Ofstehage shows is ready to be reproduced elsewhere in Brazil and exported to the rest of the globe, including the United States. Through this compelling ethnography, Dr. Ofstehage takes readers on a tour of Soylandia and the new world of industrial agriculture, globalized markets, international development, and environmental change that it heralds.
This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.
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