US Protectionist Shock: Strategic Response of Brazil′s Agribusiness

ABSTRACT The 2025 U.S. tariffs on Brazilian imports exemplify the resurgence of global protectionism and its ripple effects across interconnected agri‐food systems. This study analyzes Brazil′s agribusiness response to this geopolitical shock, revealing how trade barriers disrupted key exports, while accelerating diversification toward for new markets. Through a qualitative case study, the research reveals that differences in governance amplified smallholders′ vulnerabilities, whereas large firms leveraged multinational structures and innovations to adapt. The crisis underscores broader lessons on resilience in global trade, protectionist shocks, though disruptive, can foster adaptive capacity, institutional learning, and sustainability‐oriented reconfiguration in emerging economies.