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Landmines create an enormous cost not only for the countries where they are placed, but for the international community as a whole. A landmine that brings a vendor $3 in revenue, costs the international community between $300 and $1,000 to clear. At a minimum, the 110 million landmines currently buried worldwide will cost approximately $33 billion for clearance alone. In 1994, roughly 100,000 landmines were cleared. However, in that same period 2 million more landmines were laid, leaving the international community with an annual “de-mining deficit” of some 1.9 million mines, adding another $1.4 billion to the cost of clearing the world's landmines. Many experts believe that under current conditions it would take more that 1,100 years to clear the entire world of mines—provided that no additional mines are planted!
From another standpoint, landmines often stop the economy of a nation. Most minefields are unmarked and cannot be distinguished from the surrounding countryside. Generally, the first sign the people in an area have of the existence of a minefiled is when a friend or family member is injured or killed. Since this is such a serious matter, local civilians are forced to avoid any area in which a person is known to have died due to a landmine. This means that the explosion of even one mine may make a road, playground or a rice paddy unusable. In areas where there is a shortage of food, people are sometimes forced to take the risk and work the fields that might be mined.
 Sometimes mines are placed in farmer's fields. Arable (agricultural) land becomes unusable. As more agricultural land is taken out of production, regions which were once self-sufficient are now dependent upon outside sources for their food. In one part of Angola alone, it is estimated that landmines have reduced food production by more than 25%. In Mozambique, also in Africa, the drought along with the mining of arable land and the road system have had a serious impact on the region. In other countries, the mining of irrigation systems and water-delivery plants makes it almost impossible to farm even those fields which are mine-infested.
In many areas, it is the national infrastructure—roads, power lines, electric plants, irrigation systems, water plants, dams and industrial plants—that are often mined during civil conflicts. At the end of the conflict, it is often impossible to approach these facilities to repair them or even try to maintain them. As a result, other services, such as electricity and water, become spotty in these situations. Goods and services cannot be sent on mined roads and local businesses suffer while the prices of scarce goods go up, causing inflation. The cycle of poverty keeps growing.
- The article states that landmines are “expensive.” (a) What are the actual costs of landmines? (b) What are the costs of landmine removal?
- Explain how the economic impact of landmines far exceeds the above-mentioned costs. Refer specifically to how landmines affect (a) farming (b) food production (c) the infrastructure of a country.
- As a research project, select five countries where landmines have been placed. Find out whether they are primarily agricultural or industrial countries, then analyze their current agricultural production by finding out what they are growing and what they are importing. Find out about their agricultural production before the conflict started (i.e. before landmines were planted).
- You are the leader of a country where there are many landmines. Write a letter to the peopleof your country explaining how you are aware of the problems related to landmines in their fields and roads. Suggest a plan of action to help them continue planting and harvesting food.
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