Fordlândia
Encyclopedia
Fordlândia is a now-abandoned, prefabricated industrial town established in the Amazon Rainforest
in 1928 by American industrialist Henry Ford
to secure a source of cultivated rubber for the automobile manufacturing operations of the Ford Motor Company
in the United States
. Ford had negotiated a deal with the Brazilian government granting his newly formed Companhia Industrial do Brasil a concession of 10,000 km² of land on the banks of the Rio Tapajós near the city of Santarém, Brazil
, in exchange for a 9% interest in the profits generated.
The project was ultimately a total failure. Despite repeated invitations from residents and periodic promises to do so, Henry Ford never actually visited his ill-fated jungle city.
for the tires on Ford
cars, avoiding the dependence on 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 plantation
s, as opposed to being widely spaced in the jungle, were easy prey for tree blight
and insects, a problem absent from the Asian rubber plantations, where transplanted Amazonian rubber trees faced no natural predators. 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 work through the middle of the day under the tropical sun—and would often refuse to work. In 1930 the native workers 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 alcohol and tobacco within the town, including inside the workers' own homes. The inhabitants circumvented this prohibition by paddling out to merchant riverboats moored beyond town jurisdiction and a settlement was established five miles upstream on the "Island of Innocence" with bars, nightclubs and brothels.
had been developed, reducing world demand for natural rubber. Ford's investment opportunity dried up overnight without producing any rubber for Ford's tires, making Fordlândia a total disaster. In 1945 Henry Ford's grandson Henry Ford II sold it for a loss of over US$20 million.
series Marsupilami by Yann and Batem, published in 1991 is titled Fordlandia and takes place there.
Singer/songwriter Kate Campbell
has a track entitled "Fordlândia" on her 2008 album Save the Day.
Argentinian writer Eduardo Sguiglia
wrote a novel entitled "Fordlandia", St. Martin's Press
, New York (October 5, 2001)
In November 2008, Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson
released an album entitled Fordlandia
.
Montreal artist Scott Chandler photographed Fordlândia in 2011.
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
in 1928 by American industrialist Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
to secure a source of cultivated rubber for the automobile manufacturing operations of the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Ford had negotiated a deal with the Brazilian government granting his newly formed Companhia Industrial do Brasil a concession of 10,000 km² of land on the banks of the Rio Tapajós near the city of Santarém, Brazil
Santarém, Pará
-External links:*...
, in exchange for a 9% interest in the profits generated.
The project was ultimately a total failure. Despite repeated invitations from residents and periodic promises to do so, Henry Ford never actually visited his ill-fated jungle city.
History and decline
Ford intended to use Fordlândia to provide his company with a source of rubberRubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
for the tires on Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
cars, avoiding the dependence on British (Malayan
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
) rubber. The land was hilly, rocky and infertile. None of Ford's managers had the requisite knowledge of tropical agriculture
Tropical agriculture
Worldwide more human beings gain their livelihood from agriculture than any other endeavor; the majority are self-employed subsistence farmers living in the tropics...
. The rubber trees, packed closely together in plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s, as opposed to being widely spaced in the jungle, were easy prey for tree blight
Blight
Blight refers to a specific symptom affecting plants in response to infection by a pathogenic organism. It is simply a rapid and complete chlorosis, browning, then death of plant tissues such as leaves, branches, twigs, or floral organs. Accordingly, many diseases that primarily exhibit this...
and insects, a problem absent from the Asian rubber plantations, where transplanted Amazonian rubber trees faced no natural predators. The mostly indigenous
Indigenous peoples in Brazil
The Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the European invasion around 1500...
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 work through the middle of the day under the tropical sun—and would often refuse to work. In 1930 the native workers revolted against the managers, many of whom fled into the jungle for a few days until the Brazilian Army
Brazilian Army
The Brazilian Army is the land arm of the Brazilian Military. The Brazilian Army has fought in several international conflicts, mostly in South America and during the 19th century, such as the Brazilian War of Independence , Argentina-Brazil War , War of the Farrapos , Platine War , Uruguayan War ...
arrived and the revolt ended.
Ford forbade alcohol and tobacco within the town, including inside the workers' own homes. The inhabitants circumvented this prohibition by paddling out to merchant riverboats moored beyond town jurisdiction and a settlement was established five miles upstream on the "Island of Innocence" with bars, nightclubs and brothels.
Failure
The government of Brazil was suspicious of any foreign investments, particularly in the northern Amazonia region, and offered little help. Ford tried again, relocating downstream to Belterra where better weather conditions to grow rubber existed, but by 1945 synthetic rubberSynthetic rubber
Synthetic rubber is is any type of artificial elastomer, invariably a polymer. An elastomer is a material with the mechanical property that it can undergo much more elastic deformation under stress than most materials and still return to its previous size without permanent deformation...
had been developed, reducing world demand for natural rubber. Ford's investment opportunity dried up overnight without producing any rubber for Ford's tires, making Fordlândia a total disaster. In 1945 Henry Ford's grandson Henry Ford II sold it for a loss of over US$20 million.
In popular culture
The 6th installment of the Franco-Belgian comicsFranco-Belgian comics
Franco-Belgian comics are comics that are created in Belgium and France. These countries have a long tradition in comics and comic books, where they are known as BDs, an abbreviation of bande dessinée in French and stripverhalen in Dutch...
series Marsupilami by Yann and Batem, published in 1991 is titled Fordlandia and takes place there.
Singer/songwriter Kate Campbell
Kate Campbell
Kate Campbell is an American folk singer/songwriter.Her songwriting is strongly influenced by her southern roots and authors in the literary world, as on her most recent album, Save the Day...
has a track entitled "Fordlândia" on her 2008 album Save the Day.
Argentinian writer Eduardo Sguiglia
Eduardo Sguiglia
Eduardo Sguiglia is an Argentine economist, writer and essayist.He lives in Buenos Aires since his return from exile, in the early eighties...
wrote a novel entitled "Fordlandia", St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
, New York (October 5, 2001)
In November 2008, Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson
Jóhann Jóhannsson
Jóhann Jóhannsson is an Icelandic musician, composer and producer. He is a co-founder of Kitchen Motors in Reykjavík, the art organization/think tank/record label which specializes in initiating collaborations, promoting concerts and exhibitions, performances, chamber operas, producing films,...
released an album entitled Fordlandia
Fordlândia (album)
Fordlandia is the sixth full-length studio album by Icelandic-born musician Jóhann Jóhannsson. The album was released on 3 November 2008 via 4AD. The album is thematically influenced by the failure of Henry Ford's Brazilian rubber plant Fordlandia...
.
Montreal artist Scott Chandler photographed Fordlândia in 2011.
External links
- The Ruins of Fordlândia, by Alan Bellows, from Damn Interesting, posted August 3, 2006. Includes pictures.
- Jóhann Jóhannsson, posted January 28, 2009.
- Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford’s Forgotten Jungle City - Democracy Now, broadcast July 2, 2009, Video and Discussion (transcript available).
- Fordlandia - Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford’s Forgotten Jungle City, UK edition, published by Icon Books
- Fordlandia on Flickr - Historic images from the Benson Ford Research Center, a library and archive located at the Henry FordThe Henry FordThe Henry Ford, a National Historic Landmark, , in the Metro Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, USA, is a large indoor and outdoor history museum complex...
.