Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was convicted of corruption in July Now he is on the road mobilising those he lifted out of poverty Wearing their best red T-shirts, carrying flags and banners, and buzzing with excitement, thousands of people in this poor, dusty farming town had thronged the main square to see Lula and they screamed and stretched out their hands when he walked on stage gravel-voiced leftist leader’s rule ended seven years ago yet he remains the most popular Brazilian president in decades “Do you know any phenomenon bigger than Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva?” said Flavio Balreira union leader and two-times president once described by Barack Obama as “the most popular politician on Earth” has been criss-crossing Brazil’s semi-arid impoverished north-east to address adoring crowds like this one in Ouricuri Lula and his team travel in a fleet of buses “I want to thank President Lula,” said Francilene da Silva a maid who benefited from a housing scheme introduced during his eight-year reign “There are many who enter government and do nothing explaining that a cash transfer scheme that helped 36 million people escape extreme poverty still “holds up” the town Lula was born into barefoot poverty less than 300 miles away and his governments transformed the lives of many here But this is not just a pre-campaign tour before next year’s presidential elections “The caravan is confirmation that it is worth being honest with the people,” he told the Observer “that it is worth doing what the people want and that it is worth governing for the poorest.” In July he was handed a prison sentence of nine years and six months for corruption and money laundering – and he faces four more trials all related to what prosecutors say was his role commanding a “criminal orchestra” involving the state-run oil company Petrobras and contracting companies that flourished during his rule A three-year investigation, called Operation Car Wash, into billions of dollars of corruption and kickbacks has jailed politicians from Lula’s Workers’ party and its former congress allies Lula says there is no evidence against him and argues he has been subjected to a politically motivated legal war – “lawfare” – to stop him running On Friday prosecutors requested his absolution in one of the cases a professor of political science at the Federal University of Pernambuco “This is about flexing muscles,” Melo said he enhances the credibility of a narrative of politicisation.” Speakers in Ouricuri said that before Lula’s Workers’ party came to power in 2002 people looted shops through the desperation of hunger when the rains failed 1.2 million families got water storage systems and nobody has looted in the current “I want them to prove one thing against me,” Lula told the crowd He was already leading early polls for next year’s elections and his support has grown further since the sentencing while internationally a chorus of influential voices argues he is being unjustly targeted including the human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson who has taken his case to the United Nations Human Rights Committee Unlike some jailed during Operation Car Wash, including Eduardo Cunha, the former speaker of the lower house of Brazil’s congress who kept millions of dollars in offshore accounts the sums involved in Lula’s case are relatively modest though his party is alleged to have received vast amounts His sentence was related to accusations that Lula benefited from about £590,000 in bribes from a construction company paid in the shape of a seaside duplex apartment no luxuries and the apartment where he has lived for 25 years is extremely modest,” said Robertson Lula’s family moved to São Paulo when he was seven He started work as a street vendor at eight joined the union and emerged as a charismatic leader who led a series of debilitating strikes in the last years of Brazil’s dying military dictatorship In 1980 he founded the Workers’ party and lost three elections before winning in 2002 Brazil rode a commodities boom during his reign and as consumer spending grew half the population joined a new lower middle class It’s the only thing that makes sense for a government to take care of the poorestLula“The poorest know what we did for them,” he said “It’s the only thing that makes sense for a government That same year, he got his successor, a former Marxist guerrilla called Dilma Rousseff She lacked his chummy – critics say cynical – ability to do deals with the mercenary regional barons who hold sway in Brazil’s fractious congress and after narrowly winning re-election 2014 oversaw Brazil’s first deficit in more than a decade The country lost its investment grade as its economy began to shrink In government, Lula enjoyed the support of financial markets. Now he is fiercely critical of Rousseff’s successor, Michel Temer, whose savage austerity programme has slashed benefits to poorer Brazilians and Lula argues that Brazil should spend its way out of its crippling recession because developed countries such as Britain also run public deficits “I want to thank President Lula,” said Francilene da Silva a maid who benefited from a housing scheme introduced during Lula’s eight-year reign Photograph: Dom Phillips/The Observer“What makes the nation grow is the purchasing power of the people at the bottom “When you take out a loan for a productive asset millions of demonstrators flooded Brazilian streets calling for Rousseff’s impeachment and Lula’s jailing celebrating when she was removed on charges of breaking budget laws last year She and Lula argued that the process was a coup and its credibility was compromised by the high proportion of politicians who voted for her impeachment but who also faced their own corruption charges Many of those same politicians voted not to suspend Temer last month when he was charged with corruption in a related case after being secretly recorded recommending a powerful businessman deal with a close aide later filmed receiving $152,000 in cash in a suitcase Robertson said Lula had been targeted by Judge Sérgio Moro who has become a hero for targeting Brazil’s endemic corruption especially among a burgeoning right wing that coalesced during the pro-impeachment protests but failed to demonstrate when the more serious charges against Temer emerged the judge effectively acts as both arbiter and prosecutor “The legal system in Brazil goes back to the Spanish Inquisition,” said Robertson Lula’s supporters were adamant he had been set up As his caravan rolled through the parched landscape cheering wildly and filming on mobile phones when Lula came out to greet them “He was the best president we ever had in Brazil,” said Danilo Gomes where the local mayor had set up a roadblock by a roundabout This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media Metrics details which is composed of plants adapted to the dry climate the choice of the most adequate vegetation index to represent the vegetation requires basic studies which relate the variability of the structural conditions of the vegetation with the bidirectional reflectance factors of the surface of the different channels or spectral bands the aim of this study was to characterize the spectral behavior evaluating the seasonality of bidirectional surface reflectance (BSR) values and vegetation indexes of fragments of rangelands as well as to evaluate the land cover change of different municipalities located in the Caatinga Biome in Brazil Biomes that are part of the Brazilian Northeast region (A) municipalities where permanent transects were established to assess the vegetation: Tauá (B) in the State of Ceará and Ouricuri (C) in the State of Pernambuco The choice of these municipalities was based on the regions that have important livestock activities soil and structure of the Caatinga vegetation of these locations being representative of the Caatinga rangelands consisting of fragments of rangelands (with about 10 ha of area) two of which were located on the farm Cachoeirinha do Pai Senhor (Latitude − 5.62° S and Longitude − 40.12° W) and the third one was located on the property of the Caatinga Association in Ouricuri-PE (Latitude − 7.97° S and Longitude − 40.15° W) Cross-shaped transects were established in areas with different density of woody plants generating 4 quadrants of 25 m of length on each side from the center NDVI was chosen for being an important index and that had already several applications in the Caatinga Biome while other indexes were chosen for having soil and atmospheric correction factors and the LAI for being an important index for handling rangelands To verify the ability of the indexes to differentiate the locations studied and the seasonality of the vegetation two groups were compared using non-parametric analysis with the application of the Wilcoxon t test for two samples considering a 5% significance level in the SAS Studio software The spectral behavior was presented in graphs and the spectral indexes in box-plot graphs using the Sigma Plot software (version 11.0) Model (Flowchart) of the steps taken to classify the land use cover a mosaic was generated corresponding to the composition of all scenes referring to the dry period of each year of study the RGB composition of Landsat 8 was used to highlight the NIR values (band 5) of the vegetation over the red tones of the image After selecting points for training samples the script is asked to process the data and provide the classification result the accuracy was evaluated through the application of confusion matrix Samples were defined from high resolution images on Google Earth Pro and then it was performed a visual interpretation check using the classified Landsat 8 image for the year 2018 The samples created were checked and defined as reference data (field truth) in order to build the confusion matrix later obtain the accuracy and the coefficients of agreement with the QGIS software (2.18) each transect received the name corresponding to the density of its vegetation: Ouricuri with the density of 292 plants/ha was called OD292; Tauá with the total density of 144 plants/ha was called TD144; and Tauá with the density of 280 plants/ha was called TD280 Surface reflectance bidirectional (SRB) and spectral indexes of rangelands with different densities of woody vegetation in Ouricuri and Tauá in the rainy and dry periods of the year 2018 Means followed by the same uppercase letter do not differ by the Wilcoxon t test at the level of significance of 5% it was noted that all indexes presented higher values in vegetation OD292 Considering the rangelands monitored in Tauá (TD280 and TD144) and LAI indexes were able to distinguish the rangeland during the rainy season and the rangeland with the lowest woody density (TD144) presented the highest indexes SAVI and NDWI were not able to differentiate the two rangelands EVI and mSAVI2 were the two most efficient indexes in distinguishing the vegetation both considering the variation in woody density and seasonality of the rangeland Both Tauá and Ouricuri showed increase in the area of conserved Caatinga and reduction in the area of thinned Caatinga (Table 3) the area of conserved Caatinga increased from 1423.7 km2 in 2014 to 2025.9 km2 in 2018 which represented an increase of 602 km2 or 42% of the conserved Caatinga while in Ouricuri the area of conserved Caatinga went from 612.9 km2 in 2014 to 1059.2 km2 in 2018 the reduction of the area of thinned Caatinga and herbaceous vegetation was 33.9% and 58.3% while there was an increase of 145% in the area of bare soil Land cover change and their respective classes obtained through image classification on Google Earth Engine of Tauá (A and the interannual classes change (%) during the years of study (C–F) Lower SRB values of the wavelengths corresponding to the visible light during the dry period of the year are due to the characteristic of the Caatinga biome rangelands of presenting changes in their morphology throughout the year and this causes variations in the fractions of absorbed transmitted and reflected incident solar radiation it is important to note that there was a difference in the SRB of the vegetation quite possibly due to the fact that Ouricuri had greater rainfall in 2018 which may have provided more abundant and vigorous vegetation resulting in greater absorption of the visible wavelengths the lower spectral indexes of vegetation during the dry period of the year in detriment of the rainy period are due to the lesser rainfall in the second half of 2018 the vegetation loses its foliage to reduce the loss of water through perspiration the higher values of spectral indexes in the rainy season occurred due to the greater vigor of the vegetation due to the greater amount of photosynthetic pigments which are found mainly in photosynthetically active leaves the increase in the conserved Caatinga class in comparison to the change in occupation and land use in Ouricuri and Tauá occurred due to some fragments of thinned vegetation being in the process of regeneration and ecological succession and constantly changing its conservation stage due to less anthropic pressure in these areas the anthropic action of deforesting fragments of thinned caatinga and herbaceous vegetation for soil preparation and later planting of agricultural crops may have resulted in an increase in the area of bare soil in these regions According to the quality scale proposed by Landis and Koch34 the Kappa Index values for both Tauá and Ouricuri showed excellent levels of correctness as well as low values of both errors of omission and commission with the highest being 32.48% for the herbaceous vegetation class of Ouricuri while the lowest errors was for the water class a factor that may have contributed to the high quality of the classification was the use of images from the dry period of each year of study which facilitated the distension of classes of vegetation the Caatinga loses its foliage and the agricultural soils are dry there was a tendency of the classification model to confuse the bare soil class with the herbaceous vegetation which possibly occurred due to the fact that areas destined for agriculture in these regions remain with exposed soil or with crop residues during the dry period of the year and the herbaceous vegetation class has essentially small herbaceous plants This study verifies seasonal changes in rangelands using the Wilcoxon t test and the index's ability to discriminate between different rangelands The analysis of the spectral responses of Caatinga rangelands is a useful and basic practice for carrying out studies with remote sensing since it made it possible to distinguish the temporal and spatial variability from the surface reflectance bidirectional obtained in the monitoring sites The temporal variation in the analysis of the vegetation indexes was a useful tool in identifying seasonal changes in the rangeland and it can also be useful in identifying the vegetation phenology as well as in estimating the condition of the vegetation as a feed supply for herds we perform an image classification in order to produce a tool to monitor the degradation of rangelands The aim was to study different methods to monitor the rangelands of the Caatinga biome The image classification model through the Google Earth Engine tool proved to be effective in verifying the temporal land cover change indicating that this tool is capable of monitoring information on a large scale making it possible to identify locations with the vegetation that is most affected and susceptible to degradation to know that these regions demand greater government support 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Geogr. 88(1), 45–59. https://doi.org/10.14350/rig.44092 (2015) Download references To the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) Felipe Hermínio Meireles Nogueira & Magno José Duarte Cândido Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform performed the analysis of spectral responses in software with F.H.M.N contributed to the image classification and the making of thematic maps All authors edited and reviewed the manuscript The authors declare no competing interests Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-97784-5 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science Dec 30 2016 (IPS) - The drought that has plagued Brazil’s semiarid Northeast region since 2012 is already more severe than the 1979-1983 drought But prolonged dry spells no longer cause the tragedies of the past There are no widespread deaths from hunger or thirst or mass exodus of people due to water shortages like in the past when huge numbers of people would swarm into cities and towns and even loot the shops or head off to distant lands in the more developed centre-south of the country an ecosystem exclusive to Brazil’s semiarid region which consists of shrubland and thorn forest looks dead with the exception of a few drought-resistant trees and areas where recent sprinkles have turned some shrubs green again a city of 68,000 people in the state of Pernambuco the city is also supplied by water piped in from the São Francisco river but because we did not know how to cope with the situation,” Manoel Pereira Barros He got married at the height of the crisis “It was difficult for the entire family…we killed some oxen we survived on the water from a cacimba (water hole) the governors of the nine states that make up Brazil’s semiarid region requested more help from the national government pointing out that one hundred people a day were dying as a result of the drought According to the state governments in the region 100,000 people died in the space of five years although researchers put the number of deaths at more than 700,000 And one million deaths is the estimate of Networking in Brazil’s Semi-Arid Region (ASA) a network of 3,000 social organisations created in 1999 to promote the transformations which are improving the life of the population most affected by the drought: poor farmers in the Northeast Distributing water tanks to collect and store rainwater for drinking and cooking was their first goal Beyond assuring safe drinking water during the eight-month dry season this initiative was at the centre of a new approach towards the development of the semiarid region which is home to more than 23 million people in this country of 208 million One million water tanks have been built so far which distributes 16,000-litre family units made of concrete slabs that are installed with the participation of the beneficiaries who also receive citizenship classes and training in water management overcoming the failed policies of the past based on “combating the drought” which thus promotes learning about the ecosystem capitalising on farmers’ traditional knowledge and fostering an intense exchange of experiences among rural communities Other methods for coexisting with the local ecosystem include contextualised education including the water used for irrigation and livestock and native seeds adapted to the local soil and climate These technologies, provided by the Advice and Help Centre for Workers and Alternative Non-Governmental Institutions (CAATINGA) did not exist during previous droughts and are making the difference today and other government social programmes that help farmers survive even when it doesn’t rain to look for work in vineyards and on mango plantations in the municipality of Petrolina on the shores of the São Francisco river “I spent 15 years away from my family working with poisonous agricultural chemicals that is why I look older than my age,” he said jokingly “Here I only eat organic food.” and one of them still has water from the January rains it lasts over a year for five people,” he said the community of 14 families has a pond dug in the rocky ground 70 years ago “It needs to be cleaned,” said Clarinda Alves a system of filters which makes it possible to reuse household sewage to irrigate vegetable gardens and fruit trees is another technology which is expanding among the farmers of the semiarid region plus the water increasingly distributed by the army in tanker trucks throughout the Northeast Barros decided to stop growing vegetables and other crops He opted instead to prioritise the water for human and animal consumption ASA believes there is still much to do with respect to the question of water supply To reach the goal of universalising “two water tanks” there is still a need for 350,000 tanks for drinking water and 800,000 devoted to production “Five water tanks” are needed, according to André Rocha, climate and water coordinator for the non-governmentalRegional Institute for Appropriate Small-Scale Agriculture (IRPAA) so water for production purposes would be the third source and the fifth would be dedicated to the environment restoring the groundwater table and keeping rivers running year-round,” Rocha told IPS in his office But the task of “building coexistence with the semiarid ecosystem,” ASA’s goal It will be difficult to maintain water collection and the strengthening of small-scale agriculture as public policies after Brazil’s government took a conservative turn in August 2016 It also requires an ongoing ideological battle and communications effort is still the mindset of the country’s authorities and economic powers-that-be like the diversion of the São Francisco river to provide water to other rivers and basins in the Northeast as well as the irrigation of the monoculture crops of agribusiness or large-scale agriculture destined mainly for export are still being carried out to the detriment of family agriculture Hefty investments and official loans are devoted to agribusiness while funding is dwindling for ASA’s activities which have proven successful in overcoming the effects of drought Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents Just as in the United States, working-class and immigrant voters swung right The Conservatives suffered one of the most astonishing falls from popularity in political history An interview with Evo Morales in his tropical highland stronghold MAGA bombast has upended Canada’s political universe and given Mark Carney’s Liberals an edge Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau’s toxic legacy have pushed Canadians to the centre