The themes that permeate water sovereignty are diverse, as we know that without water there is no life and, therefore, it should never be a commodity. It is because we defend that water is not a commodity that we are calling for the cancellation of the privatization of Companhia Riograndense de Saneamento (Corsan), justified by Governor Eduardo Leite for his inability to meet the goals of the Sanitation Regulatory Framework.
Another situation inherent to the water issue is the serious situation of the dams in the state, especially the Lomba do Sabão dam, in the metropolitan region. A study carried out in 2017 by researchers from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul shows that there is a high risk of rupture, which can result in serious damage to approximately 70,000 people directly affected.
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Of all the serious situations that make us fight for water sovereignty, our attention will most often be the serious drought in Rio Grande do Sul that has been getting worse in the last four years.
The drought in RS and its multiple natural and human factors
We will start with the multiple factors that help us think about the context of drought in the state and that science points to some statements in a combination of natural and human factors. Let’s go to them:
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Climate change and global warming contribute to reduced rainfall;
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The La Niña effect, which is the cooling of the waters of the Pacific Ocean, can also cause a reduction in rainfall in the state;
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Deforestation and environmental degradation cause a reduction in soil moisture and a decrease in water availability for plants, which also leads to drought;
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Excessive exploitation of water resources, such as rivers and aquifers, leads to a decrease in water availability;
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The lack of adequate planning and management of water and land resources exacerbates drought and its impacts. This includes the lack of investment in infrastructure for water management, as well as the storage of water during periods of rain.
It is still up to us to reflect on two very specific factors. One is the relationship between the dry season and deforestation in the Amazon and the aerial rivers, also known as flying rivers, which are “atmospheric water courses, formed by air masses laden with water vapour, often accompanied by clouds, and are propelled by the winds”, carrying “humidity from the Amazon Basin to the Midwest, Southeast and South of Brazil”.
Therefore, the South, as well as other regions of Brazil and the world are impacted by the deforestation of the Amazon. Deforestation is a recurrent practice in the expansion of agribusiness and, here, we enter the second factor.
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The drought in RS and its multiple factors caused by agribusiness
Agribusiness makes use of intensive crop and livestock production that degrade the soil and reduce moisture. The removal of vegetation cover interferes with the water cycle, affecting the storage capacity and infiltration of water in the soil, in addition to reducing plant transpiration, which is an important process for the formation of rain.
In addition, agribusiness with the cultivation of monocultures for export consumes large volumes of water, taken from underground aquifers, which are finite resources, and this practice impairs access to water for rural communities, affecting the biodiversity of the regions.
We denounce changes in nature carried out by agribusiness with the aim of profit at any cost. We denounce the impacts and consequences of this project of profit and death, monocultures with a high environmental impact, transgenic seeds, the indiscriminate use of pesticides, deforestation for the production of commodities for export, the hunger of 33 million people in Brazil at the same time that the “agro” beats records of production and profit, of work analogous to slavery, of illegal landholdings and all forms of violence in the countryside, impacted with more power over peasants, indigenous peoples and quilombolas.
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The drought in RS and the role of the State
The consequences of the drought could be minimized by the State, through urgent measures and public policies for those who produce food and here we mention some initiatives that are already overdue, as they have not yet been taken, given the history of drought and the predictions that this period will continue. The most urgent measures are the release of corn at a subsidized price for animal feed and the implementation of an emergency credit for the affected families.
However, these emergency measures must be followed by the construction of structuring policies for periods of drought in the state. This construction permeates the irrigation programs to offer incentives and financing for the acquisition of equipment and irrigation systems and the construction of cisterns to guarantee the availability of water during periods of drought.
It also involves implementing a water resources management system that prioritizes water for agroecological food production and crop diversification. These, together with access to credit and agricultural insurance and through projects and programs aimed at soil conservation, with sustainable management practices guided by agroecology, with investments in research and development that understand the high social, economic, environmental and political impact of agroecology as a way of producing food for the Brazilian people, with the aim of ending hunger and building food sovereignty.
The drought in RS and the impact on women’s lives
We pay attention to the severe drought that the state of Rio Grande do Sul is experiencing. In this context, let us look carefully at the lives of women who produce food, generate income and preserve life.
Women have less access to resources such as land, water and credit and this makes it difficult to adapt to drought and protect livelihoods. Women face cultural barriers forged by gender inequality and this makes access to these resources difficult, while it is on them that “care” falls, so naturalized that it is not even considered work.
Women are responsible for food production, creation and that portion of production that feeds the family with diversity and nutritional quality, but which are called offal, which make up an enormous diversity of foods.
It is urgent that we reveal the particularities of gender relations in the perspective of the totality of the class struggle. Women’s work in food production generates income for families and encourages property diversification. Debating gender inequality in the context of productive diversification, income generation in a situation of drought is to give visibility to the violence that women experience.
In this context, having an income can be the material condition that stops violent situations that, in the case of rural women, are also related to the condition of financial dependence and patrimonial violence.
It is important to note that the impacts of drought on the quality of life of people living in rural areas are disproportionate to those living in cities, since rural populations have limited access to basic health, education and social assistance services. Under these conditions, the search for water for consumption and for carrying out agricultural activities, in adverse conditions, makes life precarious and considerably reduces the quality of life in the fields.
Therefore, it is crucial that public policies to face drought take into account the specific needs of rural communities and work to reduce social and economic inequalities. And that these policies be planned, implemented and evaluated together with organized popular social movements that have historically been denouncing the consequences of agribusiness, but also announcing and promoting agroecology for food production and life preservation.
The struggle does not go forward without women and we will not go back. It is essential to analyze and consider gender inequality when designing public policies and practices for adapting and combating drought, ensuring equal access to resources and opportunities for women and men. As well as the promotion of egalitarian gender relations and the appreciation of roles and knowledge in the management of natural resources and collective decisions.
The drought in Rio Grande do Sul impacts family peasant agriculture and, in a severe way, the lives of women who face additional challenges. In addition to affecting women’s participation in decision-making in their communities, given that women are burdened with agricultural work and family reproductive work. They have less time and energy left to get involved in community and political activities and this negatively affects their collective ability to organize and mobilize for better living conditions.
The struggle does not go forward without women and we will not go back. We continue in the fight against hunger and violence: supplying food and hope to the Brazilian people!
* Letícia Chimini is a member of the Small Farmers Movement, Dr. in Social Work (PUCRS), Master in Regional Development and Social Work (UNISC).
** This is an opinion article. The author’s view does not necessarily express the editorial line of the newspaper Brazil in fact.
Source: BdF Rio Grande do Sul
Editing: Marcelo Ferreira
