Gold without mercury

Gold is a valuable metal in society, used in jewelry, electronics, and as a store of value. 20% of its global production comes from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), a sector that serves as an important source of employment but faces various environmental and social challenges. One of the most significant issues in ASGM is the use of mercury for gold extraction, which poses environmental pollution risks as well as health hazards for male and female miners and communities located near the mines.

In the districts of Suyo and Sapillica, located in the Piura region in northern Peru, agriculture and livestock farming are the main economic activities. These practices coexist with mining carried out by the local population, who find gold extraction as a highly profitable business. An agricultural worker in the Piura region earns an average of S/ 716 (USD 188) per month, while the average monthly salary of an artisanal miner is S/ 1,324 (USD 348).

Seeking opportunities plus environmental and social awareness have been the motivations behind the stories of Eisen Vera, Gudvin Cruz, the Jabo Aguilar family, and the Chanta family to take a step forward by stopping the use of mercury, professionalizing their activities through the use of clean technologies, the development of alternative businesses to mining and coexistence with agriculture in the Piura region.

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