Agrarian reform, land conflicts, and population changes: a case study of the Presidente Prudente mesoregion in the State of Sao Paulo (Brazil)

Abstract

Brazilian government policies are leading to processes for the creation rural settlements. This paper analyses the impact of these policies on the rural habitat; for this, the administrative mesoregion of Presidente Prudente in the State of Sao Paulo (Brazil) has been taken as a case study. The work carried out consists of an analysis of the system of settlements in the municipalities of the region - and using as data sources the Sao Paulo State Land Institute Foundation and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. The Demangeon index, a classic index to study settlement distribution, is used to compare two scenarios: the system of settlements before government intervention; and the current system of settlements considering both old and new population centres. The analysis carried out enables us to conclude that government intervention has increased the settlement dispersion. This process has been especially acute in the areas near the border with Mato Grosso do Sul and the state of Parana. These agrarian reform areas have seen land conflicts between landowners and the Landless Workers' Movement.