The Failure of Fordlândia
HistoryComments
Did the fungus hit the wild trees in the area too... or was it only a problem because of how Ford spaced his plantation...?
The hamburger riot narrative is a bit tidy. The archives usually suggest it was the prohibition of alcohol and the mandatory noon shifts that actually drove the workers to revolt.
The article mentions the dietetic board's role in removing traditional staples. It wasn't just the burgers; it was a systematic attempt to overwrite the local culture.
If we frame this as a strategic hedge against the British rubber monopoly, the project looks less like a whim. Could the failure have been a result of bad timing rather than just bad planning?
Market volatility is a secondary issue. The real failure was the planting density, which made the colony a breeding ground for Microcyclus fungus.
Strategic hedges look great on a spreadsheet, but they fall apart when you ignore the people doing the work. I've seen plenty of 'visionary' projects fail because the planners never actually stepped foot on the site.