Mineral exhaustion and its livelihood implications for artisanal and small-scale miners

Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is a vital livelihood practice around the world, especially in the Global
South. In Tanzania, millions of people depend on artisanal and small-scale gold mining and many of these people
are in Geita, the main gold mining region of Tanzania. Based on qualitative research conducted in this region,
this paper engages the artisanal and small-scale miners’ experiences of gold mining. It highlights how extracting
gold is experienced as increasingly difficult and how miners worry that gold reserves will be exhausted in the
near future. Academic attention and policy making have focused on formalization and sustainable management
of ASM, addressing current practices and their social and environmental impacts. However, a knowledge gap
remains in the understanding of livelihood implications that emerge when mineral sources are nearing
exhaustion and they become harder to extract. In Geita, this has led miners to diversify their investments and
consider alternative livelihood strategies. With a focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this paper
calls for a broader sustainability discussion on ASM, as well as a better integration of ASM into the SDG agenda.
This integration should consider exit strategies for miners as their livelihoods depend upon non-renewable
resources.