The present paper aims to analyze the recent spatial dynamics of the agricultural farming and cattle raising sector in the State of Minas Gerais. The focus is on the sector GDP in 1996 and 2006. First, we develop a general characterization of the agricultural farming and cattle raising production in Minas Gerais, including the sector GDP distribution among municipalities. Next, we analyze the relation between the relative municipality's participation and the specialization level in the sector production. Furthermore, we try to identify patterns of spatial association and cluster formation for the largest municipalities in terms of participation in the sector GDP. Finally, we suggest some public policy recommendation to achieve higher agricultural farming and cattle raising output and to consolidate the identified municipality's clusters.
agricultural farming and cattle raising production; economic specialization; spatial econometrics; Minas Gerais
