The impact of mining on some rural populations of North East state of Brazil

The geographical distribution of Brazil’s population is highly uneven, concentrated mainly on its coastline. Since the 50's until 1980, a noticeable effort was made to try to reverse this trend. Some progress has been made mainly in the southern half of the country. Nevertheless, a large part of the territory remains fairly empty of population

The Brazilian Northeast is no exception to this rule, and has a few aggravating problems. It is above all, a great weakness in--or a chronic lack of--infrastructure, a consequence of low investment and poor development planning. This makes this deprived area of Brazil one of the few areas where it is still possible to see deprivation, poverty and despair.



One of the most common ideas is that these inner parts of the states of Ceara, Piaui, Maranhao, Alagoas and, to a lesser extent, Pernanbuco and Bahia are subject to systematic droughts that prevent local people access to food self-sufficiency. The problem of these areas is not lack of water, what with spectacular advances Agro science has made these past 15 years. The problem is the terrible consequence of the irregular rainfall. Precipitation averages over the last 10 years are sufficient to develop an agriculture that is semi-arid and would feed a much larger population than presently exists. This poverty is much more the result of a social structure based on the local, ‘paternalistic’behavior of a few families.

These are local potentates involved and introduced into all levels of Brazilian society, often the elected representatives of the people they keep in poverty. The solution for 80% of this population is, more than ever, much more political than economic. The Federal Brazilian government has often been cautious in never directly confronting these families. The action of these governments is usually limited to making basic direct assistance to these populations. This aid is just sufficient to enable them to survive.



Over the past six years, the only comprehensive and planned investment in infrastructure was the establishment of an energy grid, unfinished to this day. This allows the main free broadcast television channels (Rede Globo) and some competitors to reach most household and provide formatted information to a population that, in its vast majority, is illiterate. Consequently, they have no other way to access information.

In this context, any economic activity that creates jobs that require little skill is perceived by local populations within these States as a divine manna. Over the past five years, numerous mining sites (precious and semi precious colored stones) have been created, noticeably in Ceará. This type of mining activity affords basic infrastructure and needs labor-abundant, low-skilled manpower.



A positive point is that the people living within those inner states areas are of great integrity and honesty. This contrasts clearly with growing problems of violence and crime in most major Brazilia cities. These families, with one or more members working in the mines, have multiplied their family income two to four times.


Jean Gombart
Europe, Asia, Australia, South America and the United States--from 1999 to 2005, Jean Gombart put Noble Systems Corp on the world wide map. Jean thinks and sees globally. From 2005 to 2008, he offered sophisticated consulting to the Brazilian market for clean energy to GIS, CIM Software and the mining industry.