The myth of alternative livelihoods: artisanal mining, gold and poverty
by Shefa Siegel, Marcello M. Veiga
International Journal of Environment and Pollution (IJEP), Vol. 41, No. 3/4, 2010

Abstract: This paper aims to resolve a fundamental policy question: Should international institutions concerned with the environmental hazards produced by artisanal and small-scale gold mining attempt to direct miners into alternative livelihoods, or promote mining as a means of poverty alleviation? It is argued here that gold rushes are forces of economic history undeterred by policy, and that small-scale mining activities are expanding throughout the world because of gold's firmly rooted market value. Gold mining presents a unique opportunity for the world's poor, generating 3-5 times the income of other livelihoods, and international policy must be pragmatic about this reality.

Online publication date: Fri, 14-May-2010

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