O nosso medidor somos nós, que sentimos e gritamos : conflitos sócioambientais no entorno de uma fábrica de agrotóxicos no Ceará

Abstract

The multiple effects of production and use of pesticide on the human health and the environment are an immense challenge, with significant implication on Health, Environmental, Economic and Social Policies. This study’s empirical field is the configuration of the social-environmental conflict established in the surroundings of the pesticide factory Agripec in Maracanaú – Ceará. The analyzes took place in the territorial changes from the beginning of the plant’s operation and the evolution of the social-environmental conflict from the perspective of the State, pesticide business, and affected local population by the factory emissions. The main idea of this study has three fold: to contribute to the visibility of social-environmental conflicts in urban industrial territory; to bring awareness to the damaging effects of development on human and environment health; and to collaborate to the development of methodological instruments to approach public health issues in a multidisciplinary view. The research method chosen was case study (qualitative investigation) with social and historical approach, aiming to amplify the comprehension of the processes that generate health and disease, upon the values and interests existent in the territory. The study tried to comprehend the feelings of the community inhabitants in relation to their exposure to daily pesticide pollution. The results became evident the following aspects. Firstly, lack of information provided by the public authorities. Secondly, the pesticide company’s denial of accountability. Lastly, community’s struggle in raising awareness to the problem, and active verbalization of the environmental problems and the hazardous effects of pollution on their bodies; plus the community direct action in seeking information, the collective construction of the problem supported by the power of community mobilization. The analysis points out three different dimensions of the social-environmental conflict: - the territorial dispute is revealed by the land use and occupation, and expansion of the factory frontiers beyond its wall, characterized by the odor that invades the community space, shaping the spatial and collective dimension of the conflict; - the existence of a symbolic dispute for territorial appropriation which lays down the foundation for business’s denial of corporate responsibility supported by power structure and control over the resources. In the community, the struggle for the recognition of the problem marks the core of the dispute. It also transcends the logic of the market value because it involves resources which have no monetary value because these resources are of public interest and are no object of private appropriation. In the dispute for environmental resources, the community unmasks the speech from established power, and active categories like, justice, democracy and choices; - and the power dispute, where it is observed the absence of the State in securing heath protection, lack of information and communication by the State and the company, and the fragility of the environmental public agencies. It was evident that the community plays as protagonist in confronting the problem, also an example of fight and resistance.