Two equivalent droughts with different social impacts in the Brazilian Semiarid Region

Authors

  • Luis Cláudio Mattos UFRPE - Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco
  • Peter May CPDA/UFRRJ

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/dma.v55i0.73796

Keywords:

semiarid, drought, family farming, public policies

Abstract

The drought period in the semi-arid region between 2010 and 2016 was quite different from those that occurred previously. Although this drought has already been considered the most intense ever seen, its social impacts were significantly less intense than they have been in the past, with no record of social disasters. Part of these different social impacts were related to a new way of mitigating the drought. This new response was gradually drawn up through two decades of political and social transformations in the region. This article is focused on three aspects of these transformations: (i) the characteristics of the local peasantry who make up the regional society; (ii) the agroecological relationship of the systems disseminated in recent years; and (iii) the process of civil society mobilization and building new policies for the semiarid region. Initially, a comparison was made between the intensity of droughts based on climate data from Center for Weather Forecasting and Climatic Studies / INPE. From this point on, the work was based on participatory appraisals of the agroecological systems and subsystems that refer to the increased ability to adapt to semi-arid region, demonstrating the importance of its role in the composition of stocks and in the conversion of natural capital into other assets for farming families. The multifunctionality and pluriactivity of the semiarid peasantry also played a crucial role in the stability of the systems and in the food security. The research recorded the path of the public policy development process in which the ideas related to living with the semi-arid conditions and the focus on family agriculture became actions in the combat of drought and promote development.

Author Biographies

Luis Cláudio Mattos, UFRPE - Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco

Engenheiro Agrônomo, Doutor em Desenvolvimento Territorial pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação de Ciências Sociais em Desenvolvimento, Agricultura e Sociedade (CPDA/UFRRJ) em 2017, e Mestre em Solos e Planejamento do Uso das terras pelo Departamento de Solos (DS/IA/UFRRJ) em 1993. Mais de 30 anos de experiência profissional no semiárido brasileiro nas áreas de agroecologia, agricultura familiar, desenvolvimento justo e sustentável e promoção de direitos, junto a setores da sociedade civil, governos, cooperação internacional, instituições de ensino e pesquisa. Atuou como Chefe de Programação para o semiárido brasileiro da agência estadunidense Catholic Relief Services (CRS), e como Diretor para o Brasil da agência Britânica United Nations Association International Service (UK). Atualmente, é assessor técnico do Projeto Algodão em Consórcios Agroecológicos da ONG Diaconia, que tem apoio da Laudes Foudation, e como colaborador no Curso de Doutorado Profissional em Agroecologia e Desenvolvimento Territorial da Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco.

Peter May, CPDA/UFRRJ

Graduado em Ecologia Humana pela The Evergreen State College (1974), Mestre em Planejamento Urbano e Regional (1979) e PhD em Economia dos Recursos Naturais (1986), ambas da Cornell University. Atualmente é Professor Titular do Curso de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Sociais em Desenvolvimento, Agricultura e Sociedade da Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (CPDA/DDAS/ICHS/UFRRJ) e Coordenador da linha de pesquisa em Biodiversidade, Recursos Naturais e Culturais e Pesquisador do Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Políticas Públicas para Estratégias de Desenvolvimento (INCT-PPED). Também atua como Professor Permanente do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Políticas Públicas, Estratégias e Desenvolvimento (PPED-IE/UFRJ) e como Colaborador do Mestrado Professionalizante em Práticas de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (PPGPDS/UFRRJ). É ex-Presidente da Sociedade Brasileira de Economia Ecológica (ECOECO - 2014-17), e foi Presidente da International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE - 2008-2009) além de Diretor Adjunto da OSCIP Amigos da Terra-Amazônia Brasileira (AdT, de 2005 a 2012). Foi nomeado para representar o Brasil no Plataforma Intergovernamental de Biodiversidade e Serviços Ecossistêmicos (IPBES), painel de especialistas em valoração, assim como no Grupo de Trabalho de Manejo Florestal Sustentável do High Level Panel on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE/CFS), e atua como membro do Conselho Assessor Internacional do The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity-TEEB e do Project Steering Committee do projeto TEEB-Agri-Food. Tem experiência na área de Economia e Política dos Recursos Naturais, com ênfase na perspectiva da Economia Ecológica.

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Published

2020-12-17

How to Cite

Mattos, L. C., & May, P. (2020). Two equivalent droughts with different social impacts in the Brazilian Semiarid Region. Desenvolvimento E Meio Ambiente, 55. https://doi.org/10.5380/dma.v55i0.73796

Issue

Vol. 55 (2020): Society and environment in the Semiarido: controversies and approaches

Section

Society and environment in the Semiárido: controversies and approaches

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