GEOGRAPHY’S CONTRIBUTION 203 
much more abundant and reliable precipitation influences the 
population pattern to no little extent. But it 1s highly relevant to 
point out that the drier sertzo, although more sparsely settled, is 
by no means uninhabited and commonly sustains a major part of 
the total population. Unlike the peoples of more permanently 
aggressive environments, who face uninterrupted water deficien- 
cies, the sertanejos, who need no special ability to graze their 
herds and plant certain crops on this land during normal years, 
time and again are taken unawares by the séca. It is hard enough 
to develop a system of land use which fully considers ordinary 
conditions; to contend with unusual circumstances really calls for 
additional determination, organization, skills—and capital. The 
region is certainly not organized to make full use of available 
water supplies. It would appear, in fact, that the water resource 
problems of the Nordeste, are man-made to a larger degree than is 
commonly assumed (11). 
Delimitation of Drought Area 
Accelerated erosion, the signs of which are obvious throughout 
the region, signifies not merely soil lost for agriculture, but reduc- 
tion in water storage capacity (Figure 3). That outright desert 
landscapes may be created by man, even in warm temperate 
rainy climates, is a well-known fact, which may be illustrated 
Figure a Wilted cornfield on gullied lands of western Ceara. Poti 
River Valley. 
