Artisanal Diamond Research Articles

The influence of geomorphology on the role of women at artisanal and small‐scale mine sites

AbstractThe geologic and geomorphic expressions of a mineral deposit determine its location, size, and accessibility, characteristics which in turn greatly influence the success of artisans mining the deposit. Despite this critical information, which can be garnered through studying the surficial physical expression of a deposit, the geologic and geomorphic sciences have been largely overlooked in artisanal mining‐related research. This study demonstrates that a correlation exists between the roles of female miners at artisanal diamond and gold mining sites in western and central Africa and the physical expression of the deposits. Typically, women perform ore processing and ancillary roles at mine sites. On occasion, however, women participate in the extraction process itself. Women were found to participate in the extraction of ore only when a deposit had a thin overburden layer, thus rendering the mineralized ore more accessible. When deposits required a significant degree of manual labour to access the ore due to thick overburden layers, women were typically relegated to other roles. The identification of this link encourages the establishment of an alternative research avenue in which the physical and social sciences merge to better inform policymakers, so that the most appropriate artisanal mining assistance programs can be developed and implemented.

Poverty and Livelihood Diversification in Rural Liberia: Exploring the Linkages between Artisanal Diamond Mining and Smallholder Rice Production

This article provides an account of the changing livelihood dynamics unfolding in diamond-rich territories of rural Liberia. In these areas, many farm families are using the rice harvested on their plots to attract and feed labourers recruited specifically to mine for diamonds. The monies accrued from the sales of all recovered stones are divided evenly between the family and hired hands, an arrangement which, for thousands of people, has proved to be an effective short-term buffer against poverty. A deepened knowledge of these dynamics could be an important step towards facilitating lasting development in Liberia's highly-impoverished rural areas.

DIAMOND MINING, RICE FARMING AND A ‘MAGGI CUBE’: A VIABLE SURVIVAL STRATEGY IN RURAL LIBERIA?

AbstractSince the conclusion of its 14‐year civil war in 2003, Liberia has struggled economically. Jobs are in short supply and operational infrastructural services, such as electricity and running water, are virtually nonexistent. The situation has proved especially challenging for the scores of people who fled the country in the 1990s to escape the violence and who have since returned to re‐enter their lives. With few economic prospects on hand, many have elected to enter the artisanal diamond mining sector, which has earned notoriety for perpetuating the country's civil war. This article critically reflects on the fate of these Liberians, many of whom, because of a lack of government support, finances, manpower and technological resources, have forged deals with hired labourers to work artisanal diamond fields. Specifically, in exchange for meals containing locally grown rice and a Maggi (soup) cube, hired hands mine diamondiferous territories, splitting the revenues accrued from the sales of recovered stones amongst themselves and the individual ‘claimholder’ who hired them. Although this cycle—referred to here as ‘diamond mining, rice farming and a Maggi cube’—helps to buffer against poverty, few of the parties involved will ever progress beyond a subsistence level. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

WHEN DIAMONDS GO BUST: CONTEXTUALISING LIVELIHOOD CHANGES IN RURAL SIERRA LEONE

AbstractIn Sierra Leone, diamond mining has a long and dynamic history. The sector has brought both prosperity and problems to the country, its ever‐changing status giving rise to dynamic situations. Recently, the artisanal diamond mining sector has been heavily affected by the turbulent period that the financial world experienced over the past couple of years. Its stagnation has forced many artisanal diggers to secure their livelihoods in other economic sectors, such as gold mining and commercial (cocoa and coffee) farming. Taking this diamond crisis as its perspective, this article analyses some of the changes Sierra Leone's miners consciously make with regard to their livelihood provisioning. More precisely, the dynamics and social construction within and between the different opportunities they choose from are examined. This article focuses on gold and diamond mining, thereby taking gender differences and the way money is labelled and its value constructed as its central argument. The notion of co‐habitation will be used as a theoretical tool to emphasise that places are not single and bounded spaces, but rather areas of intertwining actors and activities, not only at one specific moment, but also over time. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Development of an object‐oriented classification model using very high resolution satellite imagery for monitoring diamond mining activity

Very high resolution (VHR) Ikonos images were analysed to assess the state of activity of a diamond mine extraction site in Africa. The methodology uses a dynamic approach, based on an object‐oriented classification of two sets of satellite remote sensing data that were acquired four months apart. The data was processed according to a supervised maximum likelihood classification system, using fuzzy sets of membership functions. Additionally, field information gathered from experts in the sector of diamond mining was used. The results confirm the usefulness of VHR satellite imagery for the identification of both artisanal and industrial diamond mining. The bi‐temporal dataset allows information on the evolution of the activity to be derived during a first period.

The Beat

The Beat

Multiple scales of diamond mining in Akwatia, Ghana: addressing environmental and human development impact

Ghana is the second largest producer of gold in sub-Saharan Africa, and has experienced a significant increase in national mining production over the last two decades. Between 1983 and 1998, the mining industry brought approximately US $4 billion in foreign direct investment to Ghana. While large-scale gold mining has seen a significant increase, artisanal gold and diamond mining product have grown exponentially. While much research has been conducted on gold mining in Ghana, there is relatively little research on the environmental and human development consequences of diamond mining in the country. Unlike other West African countries such as Sierra Leonne and Liberia, small-scale diamond mining in Ghana has not been linked to conflict but its role in development has also been relatively modest. This paper examines large and small-scale mining in Ghana's largest diamond mining town, Akwatia, and their relative impact on environmental degradation, health, and the livelihood of artisanal miners. We conclude that while an increase in artisanal diamond mining has been a means of employement and income-generation for small-scale miners, there are some human development challenges, related to environmental burden from land degradation and health. GCD is an ailing mining company in Ghana, in desperate need of an injection of capital to keep the mine alive, but botched bidding has slowed the process of de-regulating the company. We also conclude that the de-regulation of GCD may lead to a relatively reduced environmental burden in Akwatia and more revenue for the GCD to invest in the human development needs of communities in the town.