Alternative agro-ecological stock-raising in the Pantanal wetlands of western Brazil

The development of alternative beef production systems in the wetlands of western Brazil is treated here. This study contributes to the literature on alternative production systems of an organic and agro-ecological nature, which are not usually employed by large-scale farmers and ranchers. The rise of an alternative foodscape in the Brazilian Pantanal is shown to be rooted in generations of local knowledge concerning extensive cattle-raising in the wetlands that has been mobilised to develop an organic system of beef production appropriate to this biome. The study uses a relational perspective to understand how new production functions were developed and how ranchers of the Pantanal built a dense alternative technical and marketing network to provide support for organic beef production as part of new sustainable food systems. First, the larger context of agribusiness beef production in Brazil is presented. After this, organic stock raising systems are analysed and compared to conventional stock raising systems of the Pantanal. Then, the formation of organic actor-networks spanning production to consumption is treated. The sustainability of the organic stock raising in the Pantanal is highlighted and its potential for expansion evaluated.