ABSTRACT
In general the objective for the settlement of new lands is the utilization of idle natural resources to accelerate economic and social development. Inherent in this objective are (1) the optimization of resource use and the rate of economic growth by comparing the costs and returns of available alternatives; and (2) the achievement of other goals, such as more equal income distribution, social justice, or political stability. The case of profit maximization is uniquely exemplified in central Brazil, where a group of entrepreneurs have evolved who, operating individually or in corporations, have become specialists in identifying and exploiting opportunities to profitably till new lands. This group has operated primarily in the south, particularly in São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul, expanding first through northern Paraná, southern Mato Grosso, Goiás, and southern Minas Gerais and currently moving north, spurred on by the tax remission incentives offered by the Super-intendencia do Desenvolvimento da Amazonia (SUDAM).
