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Miners, Money, and Migration: Economic Geographies of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in Arequipa, Peru

Author ORCID Identifier

0000-0002-4436-6202

Abstract / Resumen / Resumo

Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is an important livelihood in many Latin American countries and across the Global South but is seldom given the same consideration as other sectors. This paper draws on tools of economic geography and migration studies to analyze ASM's economic profile, emphasizing the geographic distribution of impacts linked to miners' mobility and migration. It is based on a survey of 157 ASM workers in Alto Molino, a boomtown in southern Peru. Respondents reported average income of US$757 per month, surpassing incomes of both rural and urban workers in the region. Basic shopping for daily needs was done in the mining zone, creating spillover economic benefits and circulation. Most miners also sent remittances to family, and many maintained a hometown orientation. Concentration of assets and investments in hometowns mirrored patterns of circular or return-focused migration. This created uneven geographies of ASM-agriculture dynamics, with ASM supporting investments in hometown agriculture while having mixed effects on agriculture in the mining zone. Few miners were native to the mining zone, and social networks played a large role in recruitment and migration patterns. Most respondents aspired to goals outside mining, such as education or opening a business. This combination of hometown orientation and non-mining aspirations helps explain respondents' acceptance of the difficult and dangerous working conditions they reported. Ultimately, this demonstrates the impacts of ASM in rural areas, extending beyond the immediate mining zone, and we underscore the importance of incorporating ASM within rural economic and development planning despite its informal status.

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