Riding busses through the countryside of Brazil between Rio, Brasilia, and Sao Paolo, I had the opportunity to observe some of the rural lifestyle of Brazilians. While busses pass by mostly just the outskirts of cities and not the wealthier city centers, life alongside the road seems poor for the most part. Here, as a photo story, are some of my impressions along the route.
Sugar cane field near Sao Paolo burning in the nightFarm workers in a sugar cane field near Sao Paolo. Crops are harvested 7 days a week to keep up with demandMachinery used for the harvesting of sugar cane alongside the highway between Brasilia and Sao PaoloFavela boy standing in a street along the highway between Brasilia and Sao PaoloHighway between Brasilia and Sao Paolo covered in smoke from burning sugar cane. Sugar cane, used to produce cachaca rum and ethanol fuel, Brazil is the world wide leading producer of ethanol fuel, is a dominant crop on the fields of Sao Paolo state. Given that many poor residents still go hungry, criticism has arisen that fields are used to produce crops for things other than feeding the Brazilian population.Love in a harsh place - favela kid playing on the street along the highway between Brasilia and Sao PaoloA cross by the wayside of a highway between Brasilia and Sao Paolo marking the spot where a pedestrian was killed by a passing carAlternate transportation in rural Brazil. Many can be seen walking or biking along the highways in rural Brazil even at night, exposing them to risk of being struck by passing drivers who can't see them walking in the dark along unlit roadsCorn field along the highway between Brasilia and Sao Paolo. Brazil's fertile soil makes it prime agrarian countryFavela in rural Brazil along the highway from Brasilia to Sao Paolo. While city favelas are best known to outside observers, these unstructured communities built up by home- and landless Brazilians without any state furnished infrastructure pop up all over the country wherever there is an opportunity for gainful employmentRural worker riding his bike on the way home from the store. Public transportation throughout Brazil is under developed, especially in rural areas, forcing those who cannot afford cars to find alternate modes of transportationRural workers waiting for the bus outside BrasiliaOne man's junk is another man's treasure. Car graveyard in rural Brazil, serving as spare parts source for old vehicles still on the roadRural Brazil is farm country, with some farmers owning enormous swats of land, but not using it to its full potential, leading to landless people occupying underused farms with the tacit approval of the government
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