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Soy’s King and Wheat’s Queen: State intervention and the meaning of leading monocultures in Brazilian and Russian agrarian histories
Despite very different agrarian histories, Brazil and Russia have revealed some similarities concerning their insertion into the global food markets. One of these is the fact that both countries are now leading players in two of the most important global commodity chains. Brazil is already the main soy exporter in the world, whereas Russia is now challenging the United States hegemony in wheat production and export. This article combines historical comparative analysis with institutional theory in order to understand how soy and wheat have become so crucial for Brazilian and Russian economies, and, complementarily, with the role of the state in this process. Results highlight how these monocultures are associated to the different strategies these countries have developed in terms a more subordinated-liberal (Brazil) or autonomous-protectionist (Russia) incorporation into global food markets. Despite very different agrarian histories, Brazil and Russia have revealed some similarities concerning their insertion into the global food markets. One of these is the fact that both countries are now leading players in two of the most important global commodity chains. Brazil is already the main soy exporter in the world, whereas Russia is now challenging the United States hegemony in wheat production and export. This article combines historical comparative analysis with institutional theory in order to understand how soy and wheat have become so crucial for Brazilian and Russian economies, and, complementarily, with the role of the state in this process. Results highlight how these monocultures are associated to the different strategies these countries have developed in terms a more subordinated-liberal (Brazil) or autonomous-protectionist (Russia) incorporation into global food markets.