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Abstract
This work analyzes the changes in area under cultivation that
occurred between 1985 and 1995/1996 in the meso-regions Triângulo
Mineiro/Alto Paranaíba and Zona da Mata in the state of Minas Gerais,
Brazil. The analysis was conducted in two methodological stages.
First, variation in the area under cultivation for a particular crop was
disaggregated into variation due to change in regional agricultural scale
and variation due to the substitution effect. Second, an econometric model
of the crop that had the greatest growth in cultivated area and highest
substitution effect index was developed to identify the main factors
responsible for these high figures. It is observed that the area under rice
cultivation was reduced in all regions, a fact related to the high cost of
production. Coffee cultivation expanded in Manhuaçu, due mainly to the
area’s favorable climate and topography, and the area devoted to pasture
expanded the most. It is stressed that the amount of land devoted to
pasture increased as labor became more scarce: a 1% reduction in labor
availability lead to a 0.8% increase in pasture.