Abstract: Brazilian smallholders are seeking new types of partnerships and economic
opportunities amid a changing world. Market opportunities, however, have incurred
demanding environmental, financial and labour requirements and created trade-offs
between expanding cash crops and maintaining livelihood security. We analyze the Tomé-
Açu region in the Brazilian Amazon, a region that has pioneered partnerships between
smallholders and industries. Partnership strategies have been important to increase the
ability of marginalized groups to participate in rural development programs and new
global markets. Power asymmetries between smallholders and between them and industries
remain a stumbling block to participation and the success of new collaborative efforts.
