Eduardo Magalhães Ribeiro, from the Institute of Agricultural Sciences at UFMG.
Photo: Taniara Damascena – IEAT/UFMG

The first professor from the Institute of Agricultural Sciences of UFMG to undertake a residency at IEAT, Professor Eduardo Magalhães Ribeiro participated, on April 23, 2025, in the second meeting of the IEAT 2025 Residents Exhibition, held at Administrative Unit 3 of UFMG.

Addressing the research project “Family farming, water and droughts in the semi-arid region of Minas Gerais”, Professor Eduardo Ribeiro highlighted, in his presentation, several data that deal with changes that occurred in the semi-arid region of Minas Gerais over the course of two centuries, from the first records of droughts in the region to the present day, which reveals an increase in the semi-arid area in Minas Gerais, as a result of the state’s movement from the north to the south.

Eduardo Ribeiro began his presentation by emphasizing the need to reflect on: “what is the semiarid region?” Seeking to shed light on this question, he emphasized that the semiarid region should be considered based on its diversity, highlighting the environmental and cultural variety of this climate, the diverse peoples who inhabit it, and the adapted economic, cultural, and environmental practices that emerge from it, including traditional family farming and the region’s own water management systems.

During his presentation, Eduardo Ribeiro presented a map showing the displacement of rural populations resulting from droughts since the end of the 19th century, demonstrating their importance for the demographic and cultural formation of the North of Minas Gerais and the Jequitinhonha Valley. Over the course of two centuries, at least one severe drought has been recorded every decade.

Next, Professor Eduardo Ribeiro spoke about the so-called “great drought”, recorded between 2011 and 2019 in the semi-arid region, recognized as the longest-lasting drought in Brazil’s history, with effects on the population of rural areas, production and water supply. However, according to him, although this drought was severe, there were no cases of hunger, conflicts or population displacements during its occurrence. For this reason, it was nicknamed the “fat drought” by farmers in the North of Minas Gerais, since, during this period, they managed to maintain satisfactory living conditions, with access to water, food and work. This situation, considered by him as one of the greatest social advances in the history of the Republic in dealing with droughts, being a challenge faced by Brazilian governments since at least 1877, was, however, little discussed and, even less, celebrated.

To conclude his presentation, Professor Eduardo Ribeiro presented some data that demonstrate progress made over the last twenty years in both water supply and the quality of life of people living in rural areas of the semi-arid region. According to Eduardo Ribeiro, the security that is now possible for rural families during the “dry season” is due to the growth in the organization of rural communities, the decentralization of public investments, the growth in income, the expansion of local markets and, above all, the continuity of public programs for the semi-arid region from 1998 to 2015. These include, for example, programs for water supply, energy distribution, social security and income supplementation. In addition, rural families have started to adopt two very important strategies for coping with droughts: diversifying supply sources and increasing storage capacity. In this way, they are able to manage the water supply in an autonomous and decentralized manner.

“It was this set of innovations that ensured that the populations of these regions could get through the period of great drought without major difficulties, such as lack of water and food, without having to travel to other regions,” he emphasized.

However, according to him, there are two aggravating factors that need to be observed in the future. The first is the political aspect, related to the continuity of public policies aimed at the semi-arid region, since a government official can, at his discretion, cut programs, limit the evolution of transfers, and centralize public initiatives. The second risk is environmental, which makes it impossible to maintain, in the long term, the so-called sources of “produced water,” such as artesian wells and the supply of water from dying rivers. “The unbridled use of artesian wells as a solution for the supply of drinking water could become a serious problem in the future. It is important to remember that these sources run out, and if they are not protected, they may disappear, since there is no guarantee that they will continue,” concluded Eduardo Ribeiro.