“Agribusiness is everything”: simulations in the agribusiness legitimating apparatus

Abstract

This article analyzes simulations concerning the proposition that “agribusiness is everything”, a prominent strategy for legitimating agribusiness agents. These simulations occur through operations in the public sphere by which parts are used to refer to the whole, or, more specifically, by these agents being put for the broad perimeter of agrifood functions covered in the concept of agribusiness. It is for this reason that such operations function better when the analytical and political dimensions of the agribusiness field remain indistinct. By contrasting the concept, on the one hand, with the set of agribusiness political actors, on the other hand, the paper analyzes the mobilization and the effects of these simulations in three empirical cases involving family agriculture, macroeconomic statistics, and media campaigns. The sources are 35 interviews with actors related to agribusiness, books with their justifications, documents with their claims, propaganda, journalistic materials and presidential speeches.

Keywords:
agribusiness; simulation; legitimation; family farming