Transposition of the São Francisco river: enhanced concentration of water and land in the south of Ceará

Abstract

The study examines the water supply system of Brazil's Northeast focusing on the São Francisco River transposition project and its impact on the southern region of Ceará. It examines the capitalist expansion characterized by the concentration of water and land ownership driven by the territorialization of capital through the actions of the neoliberal state and large agribusiness corporations. The methodology includes a theoretical review of water, land, and territorial issues, complemented by fieldwork with interviews conducted among agribusiness entrepreneurs and small-scale family farmers. The research exposes the contradictions inherent in this megaproject for the Northeast’s water supply system and critically assesses concerns over the commodification of natural resources, particularly water, by agribusiness and the neoliberal state’s public water policies. These policies have effectively transformed water into a marketable commodity. It reveals that the project has not brought substantial structural changes for the working-class population in the Northeast region. Instead, it has led to water injustice, wealth accumulation, capital expansion, territorial control by agribusinesses, and socio-territorial conflicts. Moreover, the research highlights the struggles and resistance of family farmers fighting for equitable access to land, water, territory, and water supply for all. These communities have seen their natural resources depleted by coordinated actions between the state and corporate interests.