PLANUNG UND HEUTIGE SITUATION STAATLICHER KLEINBÄUERLICHER KOLONISATIONSPROJEKTE AN DER TRANSAMAZÔNICA

• Published in: Geographische Zeitschrift 1976-09, Vol.64 (3), p.171-211
• Main Author: Kohlhepp, Gerd
• Format: Article
• Language: ger
• ISSN: 0016-7479

In 1966 the Brazilian government announced the "Operação Amazônia" aiming at the integration of the Amazon rain forests into the economic system of Brazil. This development program was only realized since 1970, when under the impression of a severe drought in the Northeast and a following famine with political consequences the Program of National Integration (PIN) started with the construction of the Transamazônica, a colonization project and settlement planning along the highway-system. Inspite of considerable ecological risks and organizational difficulties precipitate colonization on Terra firme-soils began without intensive preliminary studies. Changing the initial idea of settling 1 million families in the Amazon region, official colonization planned the settlement of 100.000 colonist families from distressed Northeastern areas on 100 ha-plots along the Transamazônica section between Marabá and Itaituba (Pará) until 1975. A hierarchically organized settlement scheme (Agrovila – Agrópolis – Rurópolis) was planned according to central functions. Neither quantitative nor qualitative planning aims could be realized. No more than 7% of the intended number of families were settled, only 26% of them from the Northeast. In 1973 pretentious official recruiting of colonists was stopped in favour of settling spontaneous migrants. Low soil fertility, improper seedcorn, a low level of farming knowledge of the settlers, lack of government assistance to the colonists, false survey-schemes, problems of planning coordination and tropical diseases caused a considerable exodus from the Transamazônica. Rotation of crops did not develop because of the absence of markets and cultivation of permanent crops is still characterized by improvisation. The ambitious settlement-model of central places did not succeed because of financial problems. After the obvious failure of state-directed small-scale colonization with social objectives, the official development strategy for the Amazon region has changed to profitable, privately managed large-scale projects, mainly livestock farms, basing on tax reductions. Colonization along the Transamazônica did not obtain the aims of PIN and was no contribution to solve the extremely serious socio-economic problems of the Northeast. As official efforts in colonizing the Amazon region were only partly successful, the Brazilian government, which changed priorities in development planning should at least try to stabilize the actual socio-economi