That meant parts of the cerrado could be turned into pasture, making possible the enormous expansion of Brazil's beef herd.

ECONOMIST: Brazilian agriculture

Increasing amounts of aid is getting through, harvests are being reaped in many areas and rains are making more pasture available for surviving livestock, according to the charity.

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Other pharmaceutical companies, which had tried to combine agriculture with drug making, put their farm divisions out to pasture.

ECONOMIST: A growing world

The settlers worked hard, clearing the forests along the valley floors, and making their living from livestock in a region where few crops grow well, but Alpine meadows are pasture for goats and cattle which produce unrivalled milk and cheese.

BBC: Hiking the Alpine Walserweg trail