Complex, diverse and changing agribusiness and livelihood systems in the Amazon

ABSTRACT Finding pathways to more sustainable agriculture and resource use remains the most pressing challenge for Amazonian countries. Characterizing recent changes in the structure and types of agrarian production systems, this review identifies responses to deal with the challenges and opportunities to promote more sustainable production and extraction economies in the Amazon. While regional agriculture and resource economies rest on a rich diversity of producers, knowledge, and production systems, the expansion of agribusiness enterprises has come to dominate the distribution of subsidies, institutional support, and logistical infrastructure. These trends are associated with forest loss and degradation, pollution of waterways, pressures on and/or displacement of indigenous and rural communities, and increased greenhouse gas emissions, all of which undermine ecosystem services. We analyzed the diverse and complex impacts of socio-economic and hydro-climatic changes on livelihoods, environments and biodiversity in Amazonian countries, with a more in-depth focus on changes in key agrarian production systems in the Brazilian Amazon using agrarian census data from 1995, 2006, and 2017. The quantitative analysis is complemented by a qualitative and empirically grounded discussion that provides insights into the changes and impacts of different activities, how they are interlinked, and how they differ across Amazonian countries. Finally, we provide recommendations towards promoting adaptive, profitable, and more sustainable smallholder production and management systems that reduce deforestation and support local communities and economies in the context of increasing urbanization and climate change. RESUMO Encontrar caminhos para a agricultura e uso dos recursos mais sustantáveis ainda apresenta o desafio mais urgente para os países amazônicos. Esta revisão caracteriza o status quo e as mudanças recentes na estrutura e nos tipos de sistemas de produção rural, e identifica respostas para lidar com os desafios e oportunidades na promoção de economias extrativistas e agrícolas mais sustentáveis na Amazônia. Enquanto a agricultura regional e economia de recursos se baseiam em uma rica diversidade de produtores, conhecimentos, e sistemas de produção, a expansão do agronegócio chegou a dominar a distribuição de subsidios, o apoio institucional e a infraestrutura logística. Estas tendências estão associadas com a perda e a degradação das florestas, a poluição das águ