Brazil
Every winter, members of the Alpha Zeta Partners of Ohio State University, study abroad in Brazil for six weeks. Scott Payne, a member of this organization that focuses on diversity, leadership and academics, traveled to Brazil in January of this year. There, with thirteen days of classroom instruction and the rest of six weeks spent traveling the countryside, he was able to learn how the country operates in the area of Agriculture.
Brazil, the fifth largest country in the world, is home to over 175 million people, which makes it the sixth largest country in population. Brazilia, with a population of 2.2 million is the capital of the country. Much like the United States, this Portuguese speaking country has a democratic government. But unlike the U.S., Brazil does not benefit from government subsidies. This makes Brazilian crops less valuable, which isn't good news for poor farmers or the impoverned population of 25 million.
There are many successful industrial farms in Brazil, with acreage ranging from 2,000 to 150,000. Brazil used to be the leading exporter of sugar and coffee, but through research, they are now large exporters of beef, chicken, orange juice and tobacco.
The Cerrado region of Brazil, which is about the size of the U.S. west of the Mississippi river, was once known as a wasteland, but now flourishes with tropical soybeans.