The Potential Impact Of The New Forest Code On The Production And Export Of Brazilian Food Crops

With the rapid development of Brazilian agriculture, the importance of land resources will be more prominent. In order to transport agricultural products to the world, the Amazon rainforest in Brazil become an important source of growth in land resources. Although the Forest Code issued by Brazil is known as the most stringent forest law, the Brazilian Government has no reasonable and feasible management system and punitive measures, resulting in a greater impact on Brazil’s environment. After comprehensive consideration of forest protection and agricultural development, the Brazilian government issued a new Forest Code. The Act requires farmers who illegal deforested to reforest, and stresses that the legitimate range of agricultural development in forest areas. On the one hand, reforestation may lead to a decline in arable land, thereby affecting food production; On the other hand, making full use of the new Forest Act allows potential legal land to food production and exports. In addition to the sustainable use of natural resources, the impact on the Brazilian agricultural infrastructure, land rights, protection of small farmers and other factors also indirectly affect the development of agriculture in Brazil. Therefore, to explore the impact of new Brazilian Forest Code regulations on the production and export of food crops in Brazil has great significance.After fully understanding the background of new Forest Code and analyzing the main regulations, this article will use the way of qualitative and quantitative analysis, comparative analysis, and interdisciplinary research methods to explore the legal impact on food production and export. Starting from the impact on natural resources of the agricultural production, particularly on land resources, this article will estimate potential area of arable land in Brazil as well as potential food production through setting the scenarios. Then, the study will analyze the effect of the new Forest Code on other elements of agricultural development, such as infrastructure construction, woodland property rights and small-scale farmers’ survival. Finally, this article will compare the potential arable land in Brazil in the context of the new Forest Code with the existing arable land, and then make quantitative calculation of the Brazilian grain production and export potential. Above all, it ultimately comes to the conclusion of the study.Studies have shown that Brazil’s new Forest Code emphasizes the harmonious development of forest protection and agriculture. On one hand, the code imposes farmers illegal deforested to reforest. on the other hand, it emphasizes the rational use of land in the legal area. The new Forest Code is to promote sustainable agricultural development in the Amazon region. Although reforestation will reduce arable land resources of the Amazon region, it is still less affected because of the choice of farmers, agricultural technology progress and other factors. Moreover, the Code indicates that the forests and grasslands of the Amazon region could be used in accordance with a certain percentage of development, which means that Brazil still has not yet developed legal land. Therefore, Brazil’s export of food products still has a large potential, if the land were used in the reasonable scenarios.