The bit about the farmers is true. I live in one of these areas and our animals graze lands that were abandoned by the original owners who emigrated to the city or to abroad. And the build-up of organic mass on abandoned farms gives a lot of food to wildfires that might otherwise be mild. The government has its part in this though by encouraging the planting of 'match forests' of pine and eucalyptus.

The spraying bit, at least where I live, is complete bullshit. There's laws in place that one has to clean their land, and they are still in place. The cleaning mostly happens with fossil fueled brush cutters. Municipal governments however love using Roundup at the side of the roads, it's so nice and easy! Firebreaks by spraying is utter bullshit anyways - when you spray, the surface plants die off and leave plenty of organic matter to burn.