Coal mining activity in the district of Moatize, Tete province, is reducing crop production in the agricultural fields surrounding the projects, reveals a report published by the Rural Environment Observatory (OMR).

"Before the mining companies arrived, we produced a lot... Now we don't. They don't care about us. They don't care about us. It's not even worth complaining," say the farmers quoted in the report published today by MZNews, which analyzes the impact of mining production in Moatize between 2011 and 2022.

"Analyzing the data obtained in the surveys regarding the agricultural practice of Households (FAs), it can be seen that 90% practiced agriculture before 2011 and only 64% do so in 2022. Of the FAs whose total annual income decreased, 22% mentioned having stopped producing at least one of the agricultural crops they produced before 2011 and 26% mentioned having lost their agricultural land to mining," it reads.

For example, the population producing corn fell by 23%, from 87.1% before 2011 to 64.5% in 2022. Other crops that have seen a reduction are nhemba beans and mapira (13% each), tomatoes, cucumbers and vegetables (10% each), okra and peanuts (8% each) and pigeon peas (2%).

The study found that agricultural production in Moatize fell further last year compared to the years prior to 2011, when the Vale mining complex was inaugurated for large-scale extraction of mineral coal, for an annual production of 11.3 million tons by 2046. Read more...

The study's data indicates that 30% of the families who saw their incomes fall with the arrival of the mining companies practiced agriculture. "In fact, while annual income from salaried work increased by 28% in the period from 2011 to 2022, income from the production of agricultural crops fell by 21% in the same period."

In addition, around 47% of the 2022 farmers noticed a reduction in the quality and volume of their agricultural production; 18% saw improvements due to the use of inputs, and 37% noticed no difference.

Without confirming the hypotheses, the study suggests that mining has had a negative impact on soil quality, as it has revealed - in addition to a lack of water in the soil and excessive dust - contamination with minerals such as copper, chromium, iron, manganese and zinc. However, these are "standard" possibilities confirmed in other studies in countries where coal mining takes place, such as Bangladesh and Brazil.

The amount of these metals found in soils is higher than that recommended by the FAO, says the study, noting, on the other hand, that they occur naturally, i.e. without the necessary influence of mining.

"As a result of pollution by these substances, impacts on the production of different agricultural crops can be observed. In fact, a reduction in the quality (size) of products harvested from some crops was observed among the respondents, such as corn."

"... mineral extraction can lead to the lowering of the water table, resulting in a decrease in the flow of water in rivers, among other impacts", such as the salinization of water - which is used to irrigate agricultural fields; the use of large quantities of water to wash coal with excess ash, as in the case of the Moatize coal; and the silting up of river waters.

As a result of the mining activity, the Nhacamuanzi River has dried up, and to make up for the lack of water, Vale has started supplying the local community with the precious liquid by tanker truck. The attempt to replace the river is failing due to the irregularity of the water supply.

Mining is having a negative impact on the health of the population of Moatize, where environmental pollution contributes 88%, water pollution (67%), land loss (51%) and air pollution (26%). It is because of this situation that families are opting to leave their areas and fields for resettlement sites, without knowing, however, when such a beautiful day will come.