Land governance in Northern Minas Gerais, Brazil

an analysis of the land problem of the Upper Pardo River

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the land problem of the Upper Pardo River territory in the light of land governance, starting from a historical approach with emphasis on the legal and institutional framework of the state of Minas Gerais, public land programs, and initiatives of traditional communities. Since the 1970s, the Upper Pardo River territory has been the target of several state interventions to promote regional development and land planning. The public programs that should be the solution became one of the causes of contemporary agrarian and land problems. The cycles of interventions undertaken by the State of Minas Gerais, however much they tried to face it, most of the time contributed to worsening it. The Land Registration and Land Regularization Program innovates concerning previous state interventions. With the implementation of this program, another opportunity was created for the State to assume its role in conducting the transition process towards responsible land governance in the Upper Pardo River territory.