O Vale do Médio Paraíba

Resumo

            The region of the Médio Paraiba Valley is situated between the great are of the Paraiba river and the east of the Barra Mansa Township The set off presents three neat types: 1st) - level field of the Paraiba River; 2nd) - tertiary and crystalline hills; 3rd) - the declivous and ordinary slopes of the mountains.

            The climate of the Médio Paraiba Valley, included in the C group of Köppen's definition is beneficial to men and to the cultivation as well. The temperature is generally pleasant except in the highest slopes of the mountains. The highest temperature is registered during the month of February and it is recorded by the stations installed along the Paraiba River in the vast tertiary area of the State of São Paulo.

            During the cooler season the hoar frosts fall occasionally in the low parts of the referred tertiary area along the River, however, only in the mountains of approximately 900 meters or more, the hoar frosts fall only once a year. The soils of the region can be classified according to their origin into three types. One represented by the crystalline rocks, the other by the tertiary deposits and the third by the quaternary deposits of the level fields.

            The crystalline and tertiary soils are in general acids and deficient in organic material. The quaternaries which present a great percentage of Kisel are important for the cultivation of rice. The soils of the most part of the region have to be fertilized permanently in order to 1estore their productive capacity

            The valley is covered with pasture, principally of a certain kind of hay. In the terciary area, mainly align the Paraiba River here and there we can come across thick woods.

            The floods are very frequent, due to the absence of natural vegetation in the lower parts of the valley

            The South west of Brazil has passed through various periods of prosperity and decay, we surely can find deep traces of these periods.

            The longer and more intense period of prosperity had been the one of the coffee production, which was wide spread during the XIX century, and became the base of the economy of the whole region.

            With the shift of the production center to the West the coffee production has shown a considerable fall down, and the situation turned out to be worse due to the lack of cheap labor, represented by the slaves liberated in 1888.

            While the coffee plantations were passing away and the land was being transformed into a pasture, the cattle breeding came forth and occupied a standing in the economical scheme of this region.

            Only after the last world war, agriculture started making up some of its lost importance. The government of the State of São Paulo contributed to it by encouraging the cultivation of rice in the low fields of the tertiary area, which had not been cultivated before, so drain canals were opened for the irrigation of the land.

            The rice plantations continued expanding and presently we can come across interrupted stripes of plantations along the two banks of the Paraíba River, between the cities of Jacarei and Valparaiba

            The orange production between 1930 and 1940 was an important product in our trade balance, not only in the Valley of Médio Paraíba but in other parts of the Southwest of Brazil as well, having its largest demand marked abroad.

            Today the orange production is but a minimum percentage in the total production of the Valley.

            The vast property has always been the traditional system of agricultural organization in Brazil. Under this system of ownership the vast areas belong to few owners who cultivate the soil with careless and unforeseen methods which harm the forest riches of the country and the soil of the region. The links of labor which bind the worker to the land owner and to the land, are verbal contracts which oblige the settler to give the owner a certain number of labor days per week or do a certain job. In exchange he has the right to live in the farm and cultivate a small piece of land for himself. The lack of workers in the fields is already evident and as a consequence some farm owners pay to their employees a certain fixed salary besides the independent labor contract.

            The fact of the farmer moving to the centers of population that is to the cities where industry offers better opportunities can easily explain the shortage of workers in the fields      Though a great part of the region is covered by large and big farms the average largeness of these properties is gradually decreasing, and the land continues to be subdivided among heirs or sold in small parcels, thus increases the number of the owners

            Almost half of the population of Middle Paraíba lives in the centers of the 18 towns included in this region In these towns various and numerous industries are situated and this fact contributed in populating this region In fact the establishment of these industries in this region is due to the following factors: 1st) - The Valley is situated between the two consumption markets, the one of Rio de Janeiro and the other of São Paulo. 2nd) – Transport facilities to those consumption centers; 3rd) - facility of hiring low price labor; 4th) – The price of land is more compensating than in other regions

            The hills which before had been covered with coffee and orange plantations, they are now transformed in pastures which cover the greatest part of the Valley region.

            The production of milk staff was developed very quickly having as a consumption center São Paulo and the Federal District, thanks to the facilities of transport.

            Between the strip of pasture and the Paraíba River the cultivation of rice in the low fields, has been considerably developed.

            The township of Rezende is an excellent field for the cultivation of the sugar cane.

            In the region of the region of the flood covered land we find spots of production of vegetables which are consumed in the markets of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

            The National Park of Itatiaia situated in the Eastern part of the Town of Rezende in the State of Rio de Janeiro is a spot of touristic attraction.