Page 188 - 1970S

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of the Americas, thcy also mysteriously
dropped from thc pinnaclcs of success,
declined and dcgcncr.lted into a wcak
and stunted racc, casily conquercd by the
invading Spaniards.
What causc:d thc strangc, unex–
plaincd decline?
AJJ thc answcrs are not available, but
a dcfinite factor was thc old enemy, the
Jateritc cyde. Ancicnt Mayans could not
break the disastrous cycle of ram,
leaching and laterization.
As American geologist T. H. Hol–
land quippcd, "Laterization might be
added to the long list of tropical dis–
eases from which uol ette/1 !he rock.r are
saje."
Laterite in Amazonia?
The dead civi li:¿ations of Yucatan
and Cambodia are not in South Amer–
ica. ls there latcrite soi l in Amazonia?
Sad to say - and as conscientious
reporters and readers we must face the
facts - YES.
The fact is, thc Amazon basin -
most of its two and onc half million
square miles - is shot through with
Jaterite-forming soil.
Of course Amazonia is covcred now
with green jungle. The soils here are
just lateritic, and not pure later–
ite - not yet! But within five to ten
years of being cleared, Jand here would
be nothing but brick. Thc proof is real.
The proof lives in such places as lata.
There, m mid-Amazonia, the Brazilian
government set up an agricultura! colony.
Hopeful agriculturalists wrenched
a clearing from the rain forcst,
plantcd crops and harvcsted a good
yield. But what had appearcd to be a
rich soil, with a promising cover of
humus, disintegrated after the first or
second planting. In less than five years
the cleared 6elds became virtually pave–
ments of rack. Today lata is a drab,
despairing colony which evidcnces the
killing power of the laterite cycle.
Perhaps you are bcginning to under–
stand why scientists say "the Amazon is
a mock paradise and A FRAUD" (Georg
Borgstrom, The Hrmgry Planel, p. 238;
Christopher Weathersbce, Science News,
March 29, 1969).
What appears to be a fabulously rich
soil proves to be poverty-stricken. In
five years or less, clearcd fields become
like cement. Asians are still paving their
The PLAIN TRUTII
roads with laterite soil. Amazon farmers
still move from patch to patch (thc
milpa system), innocently assuming thc
jungle will grow back. But contrary to
popular bclief, thc: jungle in latcritc
arcas does 1101 always grow back. Large
arcas that have been clcared for plan–
tatioo cultivation are often permanently
los/ to agrimlt11re after a fcw crop
cycles have worn out thc soil.
Modern technology may, sometime in
the future, solve these problems. But
the average pioneer cannot.
Other Possibilities Explored
If agriculture in Amazonia falls short
of "breadbasket dreams," why nol
explore other possibili tes, othcr potcn–
tial riches? Fine! To be sure, Amazonia
offers potential in other arcas bcs idcs
agriculture. For example, sorne: belicvc
commercial fisheries and cattl<.: raising
will prove successful. But scientists,
businessmen and government officials
have explored these food-producing
schemes. Let's lay aside high-sounding
dreams and an<liJze what thcse experts
have found_
fiSHERIES: At prescnt, flshing in
Amazonia is largely undeveloped. Salt–
water fish come many miles up the
Amazon as the ocean tide rolls in, and
fresh-water fish are found beyond thc
mouth of the Amazon, still swimming
in the powerful Amazon cur rcnt which
carries a hundred milcs out to sea.
There are manatee (mammals about 8'
long) and of course the industrially
processed fish tambaq11í and the pil"t/1"1/CII
which often weigh 200 pounds, not to
mention the deadly pirtmha.
Obviously fishing could be increascd.
However three major difficulties stand
in the way of the Amazon's feeding fish
to aJJ the world. First, the supply of
edible types is not all that grcat. Sec–
ondly, quantity is not superabundant.
Thirdly, the variety is bcwildering, and
the array of species makes marketing
difficult. Processing, packaging, storing
and transportation are all serious prob–
lems here, since spoilage begins imme–
diately in this intense humid hcat.
STOCK RAJSINC: Though the Brazilian
consulate estimates its present cattle
herds in Amazonia at 4 mi ilion ( about
700,000 head on the Marajó Island
alone) cattle raising here has not been
what one might hope. The apparent
April-May, 1970
"natural cattle country" is south of
Amazonia in central Brazil, on grassy
savann,ts caUed campos. Unfortunately
the campos provide pastures which
are "highiJ seasmwl and in addition
.terio!III) deficient in minerals (lime
and other key plant nutrients). They
also dc:clinc rapidly under the impact of
permanent grazing. The animals in
these pasture herds usually bccome
smaller and smaller in body size with
each succceding generation, and neu·
blood has tu be brought in constantly
from outsidc." (The Hmlf!/)' Planel.
Georg Borgstrom, p. 306.)
Of course more cattle can be raised,
and fishing can be increased. But the
coltl fact is that incrcase in these indus–
tric:s is falling serioml)' behind popu–
lation growth in Brazil alone - mllch
less thc rest of the world!
Conclusion
Amazonia is a giant. This giant, to
serve: man, requires vast, sweeping and
costly development. That development is
desperately necded, since the world adds
over 190,000 pcople per da) - over 70
million every year. WiJl the Amazon
feed Brazil? Will the old "green hell"
feed the world?
Not until ambitious, grandiose proj–
ects are undertaken, f11ld etre s1tccessf11l.
And not until fabulous sums of money
are put to work in the right places.
Ambitious Amazon projects are not
nccessarily condemned to failure, but they
are doomed to delay. As Mr. José Wady
Abuyaghi of Brazil's Ministry of the
Interior has told us, "Opening up the
Amazon is not the work of onc genera–
tion - rather THREE TO FOUR CENERA–
TIONS !" That means 60 to 120 years,
depending on your de.finition of genera–
tion! But mass {amines and starvation
are predicted within the next '5 to 1 '5
years.
Will then Amazonia feed the world?
Not in time to save starviog millions.
And certainly not in our lifetime.
If the world is to find and develop
an international breadbasket, it will
havc to look elsewbere. Amazonia is
1101 the answer. D
For additional information on world
population and famine, write for your
free copy of thc full-color booklet titled
¡:.¡/MINE -Can IIYe S1m•il'e?