Dinâmicas territoriais na Zona da Mata mineira: Reflexões sobre mineração, campesinato e agroecologia

Territorial dynamics in the Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais (Brazil): Reflections on mining, peasantry and agroecology

Abstract

This article discusses the role of mining in the territorial dynamics of the Zona da Mata mesoregion of Minas Gerais, as well as how the current processes of territorialization of mining projects impact communities, the environment and agroecological practices of food production and reproduction of life. Firstly, a history of the territorial formation of the mesoregion is presented, from the colonial period to the present day, seeking to highlight how mining has always been part of a logic that privileges the exploitation of resources in the name of regional development. Next, we outline an overview of mineral extraction in Zona da Mata, dealing with the history and its main associated territorial and environmental conflicts. In a third moment, we reflect on what and who is mining progress in Serra do Brigadeiro, located in the central portion of the studied area and where agroecological production and peasant organization stand out in confronting enterprises such as agribusiness and mineral extraction. The analysis of these territorial dynamics in the Zona da Mata de Minas Gerais reveals the existence of two distinct dynamics through which mining affects the region, as well as two different ways of confronting mining, in which the right to fair compensation for disasters and the constitution of territories free from Mining figures as central efforts of popular social organizations in the region.