Fordlândia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fordlândia ("Ford-land") was a vast tract of land purchased by American automobile tycoon Henry Ford in the 1920s. Covering over 10,000 km² of land, it was situated near the city of Santarém, Brazil, and approximately 960 kilometres from the mouth of the Amazon River at Belém. At the time all rubber was naturally produced and imported from the tropics. Ford's intent was linked to his manufacturing mentality. Ford intended to secure rubber from source to final product, increasing his bottom line.

Ford intended to use Fordlândia to provide his company with a source of rubber for the tires on Ford cars, avoiding the dependence of British (Malayan) rubber. The land was hilly, rocky and infertile. None of Ford's managers had the requisite knowledge of tropical agriculture. The rubber trees, packed closely together in plantations, as opposed to being widely spaced in the jungle, were easy prey for tree blight and insects. The mostly indigenous workers on the plantations, given unfamiliar food such as hamburgers and forced to live in American style housing, disliked the way they were treated — they had to wear ID badges, and to work midday hours under the tropical sun — and would often refuse to work. In 1930, the native workers actually revolted against the managers, many of whom fled into the jungle for a few days until the Brazilian Army arrived and the revolt ended.

Ford forbade any drinking or even smoking cigarettes within the town, even inside the workers' own homes. A settlement was established five miles upstream on the "Island of Innocence" with bars, nightclubs, and brothels.

The government of Brazil was suspicious of any foreign investments, particularly in the northern Amazonia region, and offered little help. Ford tried again upstream, relocating to Belterra, where better weather conditions to grow rubber existed. But by 1945, synthetic rubber was developed, ending the world-wide demand for natural rubber. Ford's investment opportunity dried up overnight. As a result Fordlândia was a total disaster. In 1945, Henry Ford sold it for a loss of over US$20 million - the equivalent of approximately US$200 million in today's dollars.

Also worthy of note: in the 1990s computer game, The Amazon Trail, there is a section where you go to Henry Ford's camp and gain hands-on experience of Ford's attempt at acquiring rubber.

[edit] References

Dempsey, Mary A. "Fordlandia," Michigan History 1994 78(4): 24-33. (includes photos)
Galey, John. "Industrialist in the Wilderness: Henry Ford's Amazon Venture' Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs 1979 21(2): 261-289. Issn: 0022-1937