CONTEMPORARY REGIONAL TRANSFORMATIONS IN SOUTHERN AMAZONAS

THE HUMAITÁ–APUÍ TRANSAMAZONIAN AXIS

Abstract

This article analyses contemporary regional transformations in southern Amazonas, focusing on the municipalities of Humaitá and Apuí, based on fieldwork carried out between 2022 and 2025. The research draws on conceptual discussions of ‘pioneering fronts’ and processes of innovation as drivers of territorial transformation. The results reveal the dynamics of expansion and subsequent reconfiguration of the pioneer front in Humaitá, associated with the intensification of commercial activities and the expansion of soybean and coffee cultivation. In Apuí, there is continuity and deepening of the pioneer front, highlighted by the expansion of coffee production and the advance of agro-industrial activities. In the district of Santo Antônio do Matupi, there is a predominance of agricultural and livestock production, accompanied by the establishment of new agro-industries and productive innovations. It can be concluded that the territorial transformations along the Trans-Amazonian corridor in Amazonas are driven by the transformation of the frontier regions, with their revitalisation and the increasingly widespread introduction of technical innovations in the agricultural sector (seeds and livestock) and in infrastructure (agribusiness and ports), reflecting a context of greater territorial complexity.