ABSTRACT
Brazil, a nation in which agriculture has traditionally been dominant, has made significant progress in its quest for industrialization. Consumer goods, heavy machinery, automobiles, ships, electronics and weapons systems are made in Brazil for domestic use and export. Import substitution is a common practice used by developing nations to promote domestic industry and to reduce the drain on foreign exchange. Although Brazil is rapidly industrializing, agriculture is the largest economic sector of the society. The agricultural sector has been quite successful in producing foreign exchange, and it has produced sufficient alcohol to allow a significant reduction in oil imports. The debt crisis and the emphasis on export agriculture have seriously exacerbated this “social debt.” In spite of the fact that Brazil was a predominantly agrarian nation, agriculture received relatively little governmental attention until the military coup in 1964. The emphasis on export agriculture and extraction of mineral wealth for quick export may have long range ecological effects.
