Agribusiness and urbanization: internal and international migrants in the west region of the state of São Paulo

Abstract

The expansion of agribusiness has drawn a new map of Brazil. In the northwest of São Paulo, competitive advantages associated with institutional and geographic issues have attracted substantial private investments in three main segments: sugar-energy, fish farming, and slaughterhouses. This work aims to analyze migration trajectories that permeate these sectors, in order to elucidate the new articulations woven between the region’s municipalities and the rest of the country and the world due to the action of those capitals. In methodological terms, semi-structured interviews with workers from the selected segments supported the construction of migration trajectories representative of new socio-spatial hierarchies. This information points to significant transformations in that region, polarized not only by traditional regional urban centers, but also by important agribusiness locations.

internal migration; international migration; urbanization; agribusiness