Impacto das barraginhas para a Comunidade Inácio Félix, no município de Minas Novas-MG

Abstract

The Jequitinhonha Valley is located in the state of Minas Gerais in a region of low rainfall intensity, which combined with environmental degradation and indiscriminate water use, has faced intense droughts periods since the 60s. This scenario has forced the surrounding population to build their lives considering water availability. Located in the Jequitinhonha Valley, in the municipality of Minas Novas, the Inácio Félix community presents the characteristics mentioned above and was one of the first locations served by the Barraginhas’ Project. This project is a partnership between Embrapa Maize and Sorghum and the municipal government, aiming at fighting the scarcity of water resources. When the project started, there was a need of investigating and studying the benefits and influences of barraginhas social technology in the life of the town’s population. This work is a descriptive exploratory-study, with the Inácio Félix community as the universe of research and as object of study the population of the locality. The research sample consisted of 17 family units. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, which was audio recorded. It was observed that with the advent of Barraginhas, the water availability was reestablished, affecting the quality of life, causing reduction of rural exodus, environmental recovery, improving family economic income, farming and productivity, among other benefits. Although there are challenges for obtaining water resources, it is clear that Barraginhas has contributed to maintain the availability of water, proving to be essential to the development of family units.