Desperately seeking solutions to worst drought in decades in Brazil
|
Version 0 of 1. The Brazilian semi-arid region has over the last few years experienced the worst drought in decades. According its national agency of water, this drought is increasingly proving to be major challenge for South America's largest nation. "The water level of the São Francisco River [one of the most important in Brazil] is so low and water quality is so poor that it is no longer possible to fish. Our cattle are dying of thirst," said Edélcio Rodrigues, a former fisherman and resident of the municipality of Manga, in Minas Gerais state, one of the worst-affected areas. "What is giving hope for the future are projects to store water in tanks, and others that teach families better agriculture, taking care of the environment. If not, we will see the semi-arid land dry up." The ministry of national integration estimates that more than 10 million people have been impacted by the drought in the semi-arid region. Since 2012, more than 1,000 municipalities have asked the federal government for help. The actions of adaptation and combating desertification planned were inadequate – the northeast is the poorest region of the country and still suffers from the lowest allocation of resources by the federal state – the only result was the creation of a National Emergency Response Force for Droughts. Now the government is applying a income transfer programme, inspired by the Bolsa-Familia, such as Bolsa Estiagem and Garantia Safra. The first is focused on family farmers with an income of up to two monthly minimum wages living in emergency areas. About 940,000 families are receiving R$80 a month ($34,64). The Garantia Safra programme provides support to farmers who have lost at least 50% of their harvests. More than 700,000 farmers have received R$70 in five payments. So far, the federal government has spent about R$16bn to mitigate the effects of drought on the livelihood of farmers. To get an idea of the scale of the climate shifts, the temperature increase has reached 1.75 degrees celsius over the past 50 years in this region. A study of this this severe temperature rise in the semi-arid region by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, the University of California and Embrapa was the starting point for the Adapta Sertão project, which is testing a production model based on agroforestry with a more efficient use of water for small farmers in the state of Bahia. Apart from empowering farmers to plan the storage of water for the drier periods of the year, the project focuses on reforestation. One of its creators, Daniele Cesano, explains that climate change is exacerbated by local factors: "The main economic activity of the region is cattle farming, besides agriculture. To make room for cattle, farmers deforest and use herbicides. With the drastic reduction of the vegetation cover, the humidity falls and the rains subside. Furthermore, the use of pesticides pollutes water and hampers the regeneration of the forests." A pilot reforestation programme re-introduced native plants as a biophysical storage, regulating the local climate and hydrating animals that the eat plants. It benefited 500 people and received the Seed 2008 award. However, the most important initiative in the semi-arid region, which is also part of the National Emergency Response Force for Droughts, is the construction of tanks launched by an NGO called Articulação do Semiárido. With capacity for 16,000 litres of water, the tank fills the need for consumption of a family of five people for a dry period of eight months. Some are collectively built and used, shared by families, according to co-ordinator Naidison Baptista. In total, 850,000 households already have access to this technology, which means around 4.5 million people. This project is reducing an old phenomenon in Brazil, known as the drought industry: "Unable to store water, people used to lose their farming and become hungry. They were vulnerable and accepted any job offer for poverty wages. It is an exploitation of misery. That's what we're trying to change with this programme." The Brazilian government has failed to prevent the tragedy of drought. Despite these initiatives, the situation is still very serious. Nevertheless, the projects that are under development by NGOs have become references as solutions to combat desertification, not just in Brazil, but in other nations, including some in Africa. The projects propose that reforestation and water storage have to be designed and built with farmers, not only conceived by governments and corporations. It is not possible to control the weather, but it is possible to understand its dynamics and to prepare to avoid tragedies affecting the most vulnerable populations of the globe. That's the lesson the people of the Brazilian semi-arid region are trying to put in practice. Join the community of global development professionals and experts. Become a GDPN member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox |