10General education levels and knowledge ofmining specific information (i.e. legislation, bestpractice etc.) may influence willingness andcapacity to achieve a higher level of mechanisation.Especially where mining skills have been acquiredon the job in traditional artisanal operations theattidude to innovation is generally negative. 8Customs and traditions can have a strong influenceon the mechanisation process. Interventions at thisstage must aim at changing behaviour and have tobe given adequate time to have an effect.3.2.3 – Technological factorsAccess to appropriate technology is paramount:proximity of manufacture, supply, maintenanceand support services, the quality of the equipment,and the adaptation of the technology to regionalconditions and traditional practices determine theacceptance by the miners. In Brazil and Guyana,for instance, both countries where mechanisationis advanced, there are clearly distinguished nationaltechnology solutions developed and provided locally.Trust in the new technology is important forminers to adopt it. With an unknown technologythe artisanal miners often fear that material can bestolen or may disappear during processing. 9 At thesame time, artisanal miners do not want to wastetime testing new equipment that might turn out tobe useless for them. International experience fromartisanal mining of various minerals shows that“Lighthouse projects” with positive experiencesor proven successes of the innovation 10 play animportant role in the successful dissemination of anew technology.Knowledge about the parameters of the miningoperation is important before starting mechanisationin order to avoid unpleasant surprises.8There is a strong link between the disposition to innovate and addresstechnical challenges on the one hand and the ability to lead or acceptmechanisation on the other.9See experiences from Latin American ASM projects on gold inWotruba et al. (2005)10Many projects fail to develop trust in new technologies byexperimenting prematurely with non-proven technologies.The level of training and know-how in how tomanage, use, and maintain the new technologydetermines how easily it will be adopted andhow sustainable the introduction of the newequipment is.Security considerations are also importantwhen attempting to increase mechanisation ofan operation. Due to increased mechanisation ahigher concentration of value occurs and thereforethe operations may be more prone to theft if accessto machines is not sufficiently restricted, especiallyat the point of accessing the pay gravel. On theother hand, using machines for concentratingdiamonds limits the number of people who handlethem, and thus may also minimise opportunitiesfor theft by workers. 11 Here again the cooperationwith formal enterprises provides extra security.3.2.4 – Geographical factorsThe geological, geomorphologic and hydrauliccharacteristics of the deposit influence theviability of mechanisation. These factors cannotbe altered by a project. But diamond grade, size,quantity and quality, the parameters of the gravel(particle size and composition), the thickness andcharacter of overburden, the groundwater table,the availability of surface water, the level of waterduring rainy and dry seasons are all enormouslyimportant in determining which mining processis optimal.The remoteness of the ASM operation also affectsthe chances of mechanisation.3.2.5 – Programmatic Design factorsExperience suggests that projects have a greaterchance of success where the community is coowneras well as beneficiary. This means that theminers also participate in project development,execution, and monitoring. If mechanisation isself-organised and community-driven it is morelikely to succeed, and also has significant positive11This is why many people use the Plant in Sierra Leone as theirmachine, because diamond theft occurs most at the washing stage.
spin-off effects for the self-empowerment of thepeople involved, so helping communities takecharge of their own development agenda.3.3 The relation between the factorsThe key factors influencing the mechanisationprocess have been sorted into external and internalas well as static and dynamic factors in an attemptto advise possible interventions. The externalfactors are those that are beyond the influenceof the artisanal miners. An intervention tacklingthese factors must be addressed by other parties,such as the government, NGOs etc. Internal factorsare those which are directly within the sphere ofinfluence of the artisanal miners. Static factorswill be more difficult and require more time to bechanged while dynamic factors can be changedmore easily.Figure 5 below attempts to group the factorsaccording to who has influence over the factor andhow dynamic the factor is.geology/geographicposition ofdepositpoliticalorderlandrightsadministrativerequirements forformalisationlicenseprovisionsaccess tofinanceExternallawenforcementcapacitytradechainaccess tosupportmeasuresexistence &attitude ofcompaniesaccess totechnologysecurityconsiderationsquality oftechnologyStaticgeneraleducationlevels andknowledgelack of positiveexperience withtechnologylabourcostDynamicremoteness ofoperationlevel oftraining oflabour forcecustoms&traditionsASM asprofessionor add-oncashlegalstatusmobilityof ASMASMcommunityparticipationin projectinternalorganisation &socio-economicdependenciesbenefits &losses ofmechanisationtrust in newtechnologyknowledgeon parametersof miningoperationInternalFigure 2 The factors grouped according to sphere of influence and level of dynamic11
Change language