A Study on Ivory Coast with the Impacts of Artisanal Gold Mining on Local Livelihoods and the Mining Industry

Abstract

In rural regions, mining is an activity that employs many people due to the fact that the barriers to entry are sometime trivial, with very low technology, capital fund and no specialized skills required. Many people including children into artisanal mining in Ivory Coast because they can earn higher incomes in mining than through other traditional activities such as agriculture, which is the main activity in the country. Artisanal mining contribute to reduce the abject poverty and it offers many others opportunities. However, this activity has many negative social impacts. Local people including miners are risking their life everyday due to the unsanitary conditions, prostitution, chemical contaminants, and alcoholism, and also the large degradation of lands. The main objective of this Paper is to understand how artisanal gold mining in the Ivory Coast affects local livelihoods and the environment. Some key recommendations for addressing artisanal mining activities in order to have a good option for sustainable management of mineral resources in the country are proposed.

The Impact of Rural Industrial Development on Farmers’ Livelihoods—Taking Fruit-Producing Area as an Example

“…However, with the deepening of research, many scholars have realized that the development of new industries in rural areas disrupts the original livelihood environment and social network to a certain extent and entails a series of social and ecological problems, which have negative effects on the livelihood development of farmers [38][39][40]. Kouame et al emphasized that the mining industry not only destroys the land but also threatens the health of the regional population, which increases farmers' livelihood risk [41]. Chen et al revealed that the development of rural tourism has led to a series of problems, such as the reduction in regional cultivated land resources, the decline in neighborhood trust, and environmental pollution, which has a negative impact on the accumulation of farmers' forms of livelihood capital [42].…”