Farmland abandonment in Rio de Janeiro: Underlying and contributory causes of an announced development

Abstract Farmland abandonment is a widespread process with mixed socio-economic and environmental consequences. Farmland abandonment in Rio de Janeiro State is mainly instigated by the sugarcane industry crisis. The sugarcane crisis in Rio de Janeiro State affected traditional livelihoods and altered the environment and economy in the Norte Fluminense region (eastern part of Rio de Janeiro State). Therefore, it is essential to understand the underlying forces and contributory causes of farmland abandonment in Rio de Janeiro. We hypothesized that since the 1970s, macroeconomic and agricultural reforms mediated by economic shocks had driven the farmland abandonment in Rio de Janeiro State. We applied an interrupted time-series analysis over sugarcane harvest areas, relating the years of policy reforms and economic shocks to the trends in sugarcane harvest areas. The results suggest that the removal of agricultural subsidies, macroeconomic reforms, and elimination of the supply quota in the sugar mills have prompted competition and favored high-input agroindustry. Meanwhile, the labor force migration to the higher-paying oil Industry exacerbated the farmland abandonment rates for the smallholders of Rio de Janeiro State. This paper offers a valuable contribution to scientists and policymakers by providing an overview of the outcomes of the policies implemented and how they contributed to shaping the socio-economic dynamics in Rio de Janeiro State.