ABSTRACT
A recent paper described the results of the three most prominent colonisation experiences which have been carried out in the Brazilian segment of Amazonia during recent decades and concluded that their impact, in terms of creating stable employment opportunities, and of effectively absorbing the rural population, has been insignificant. Current patterns of migration and settlement in Rondonia have to be set against the context of recent events in other parts of the Amazon. Although covering an area of 243,000 square kilometres and generously covered with patches of fertile soil, Rondônia had only 37,000 inhabitants in 1950. However, the technical failings of the colonisation programs and the lack of systematic support for small farmers are themselves consistent with the orientation of the over-all development model and with the functions assigned to government intervention in this model.
