Abstract

This article examines the socio-environmental and geo-economic impacts of wind energy expansion in Northeast Brazil, particularly in Bahia’s traditional communities. Based on a literature review and recent data on wind power territorialization, it discusses how wind farms have altered land use, caused displacement, and reshaped family farming systems. These processes directly affect food security, water resources, and the livelihoods of quilombolas1, Indigenous, and Fundo/Fecho de Pasto groups2. While wind power is promoted as a clean and renewable source, its current implementation reproduces historical inequalities, intensifies socio-spatial conflicts, and raises questions about environmental and social justice. The study argues that energy transition can only be fair and sustainable if it ensures meaningful participation of local communities, respects territorial rights, and establishes public policies to mitigate impacts, secure social benefits, and safeguard ecological integrity

Keywords: Wind energy; Renewable energy; Traditional communities; Family farming; Socioenvironmental impacts; Food security; Territorial conflicts; Environmental justice; Energy transition; Northeast Brazil