Socio-environmental conflicts over water in the Northeast of Brazil: Contemporary expropriations and social struggles in rural areas

Abstract The commercialization of water expresses the aggravation of social inequalities in rural areas, increasing conflicts involving the possession, ownership, and use of water by the local population. This article discusses the conflicts over water conflicts in the Northeast of Brazil, considering the structural determinations around the issue: the expansion of agribusiness and its impacts on rural populations. The study conducts extensive bibliographic research, carried out during doctorate studies, in addition to the analysis of institutional documents around the theme. The intensification of water conflicts in the region is linked to the private appropriation of land, establishing the confrontation between classes and parts of the fundamental classes. On the one side is the agribusiness, and on the other riverine, quilombola, fishermen, indigenous, and small farmers, who establish their “social metabolism” (FOSTER, 2005) with close dependence on natural resources.