Conflitos no campo em Minas Gerais: uma década de resistência no campo (2014-2024)

Abstract

This study presents a geographical analysis of rural conflicts in the state of Minas Gerais between 2014 and 2024. Initially, the research develops a theoretical discussion on conflicts from a geographical perspective, aiming to establish a conceptual framework for understanding their dynamics. Empirical data were collected on land disputes, rural slave labor, and water-related conflicts, extracted from the database of the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT) / Dom Tomás Balduíno Documentation Center (CDOC), and subsequently systematized into graphs and maps. The interpretation of these data demonstrates that conflicts are spatially distributed across different regions of Minas Gerais and are mainly driven by large landowners, international mining corporations, and, in some cases, governmental actors. This reveals an ongoing process of appropriation of rural space by capital, oriented toward agricultural commodity production and mineral extraction, which generates disputes that affect landless populations, quilombola communities, riverine groups, and others resisting in the rural areas of the state. The study also highlights that conflictuality, rather than being understood solely as a destructive force, opens the possibility for transformation, new ideas, and alternative perspectives that emerge precisely through the dynamics of these struggles.