The plants that changed Brazil's economy

The economic cycles of Brazil are marked by products that assumed the role of key drivers of the economy during different historical periods. Among these products, brazilwood, sugarcane, cotton, coffee, rubber trees, and soybeans stand out.

The Brazilwood tree is native to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Its wood was used by Indigenous people to produce a high-quality red dye. It became highly coveted in the European market and was the first major motivation for the Portuguese occupation of Brazil.

Between the 16th and 19th centuries, an estimated 500,000 logs were sent to Europe. Due to years of predatory exploitation, along with the deforestation of the Atlantic Forest, the Brazilwood tree came close to extinction. The species remains threatened, and it is unknown how many trees are left.

During the 16th and 18th centuries, sugar production in Brazil was one of the largest agricultural activities in the Western world. It all began in 1530 when the first sugarcane seedlings were brought from Madeira Island by the colonizer Martim Afonso de Sousa.

To develop sugar production in Brazil, the Portuguese used enslaved labor, both Indigenous and African. The decline of this major cycle involved soil exhaustion, competition with other producers, and the emergence of other economic activities.

Before the first Portuguese arrived in Brazil, the Indigenous peoples were already making their hammocks with cotton fibers. The Industrial Revolution in England boosted cotton cultivation in Brazil to supply the European textile industry.

Brazil remains one of the world's largest producers, exporting to China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and South Korea. The fibers are used in the textile industry and the seeds are used in the production of oil, biodiesel, animal feed, and fertilizer.

Coffee production was the main economic activity in Brazil between 1800 and 1930. Coffee originated in Africa and was brought to South America by the Dutch. The first seedlings came to Brazil in 1727. For decades, it was consumed locally before becoming critical to the export trade.

Due to the decline of other crops, many planters decided to invest in coffee. In so doing, they stimulated the Brazilian economy. The USA and Europe became the principal markets for consumption of Brazilian coffee. This cycle was characterized by monoculture using slave labor and European immigrants.

The demand for rubber rapidly developed the economy of the Amazon region from 1880 to 1910. The exploitation of rubber trees was based on extractivism, where rubber tappers, mostly migrants from the Brazilian Northeast, harvested latex from the trees in the forest.

The expansion of the automobile industry converted natural rubber into one of the most valuable products in the international market. The decline of this cycle had a major impact on the region and many migrants faced difficulties after the crisis.

Many other plants had some economic importance for Brazil, especially açaí, cacao, and Brazil nuts. Currently, soybeans are one of the main Brazilian exports and the main challenge has been balancing profits with environmental conservation.