State of Mato Grosso
Brazil's largest soy and cattle producer cleared 5 million hectares for beef—now deforestation has delayed rainy seasons by 76 days, threatening the agriculture that drove clearing.
Mato Grosso produces more than any Brazilian state—Brazil's largest soybean and cattle producer, a major corn exporter, the agricultural powerhouse that accounts for one-third of soy complex exports. The state cleared 5 million hectares of forest for cattle between 2001-2015 alone, making it ground zero for Amazon-Cerrado deforestation debates.
The scale is continental: Mato Grosso has more cattle than people. Soy farms cleared 468,100 hectares between 2009-2019 in registered properties. Double-cropping (soy followed by "safrinha" corn) dramatically increases land productivity, enabling Brazil's emergence as the world's breadbasket. The 2024/25 forecast projects 169 million tonnes nationally, 10% above prior year.
But climate feedback loops threaten this model. Deforestation delayed agricultural rainy season onset by 76 days in heavily cleared regions between 1999-2019, reducing rainfall 360mm and increasing maximum temperatures 2.5°C. The very productivity that drove clearing may be undermined by clearing's climate impacts.
November 2024 brought political regression: Mato Grosso ended legislation forcing traders and oil producers to participate in the Soy Moratorium—the voluntary agreement that reduced Amazon deforestation. The state's agribusiness lobby actively opposes federal conservation efforts. This demonstrates how local economic interests can override national and global climate commitments.