The article analyzes the evolution of public policies against drought in the Northeast since the colonial period. A timeline based on the prevailing policies is proposed. The periodization was divided into five phases: 1) facing the droughts, 2) the construction of the knowledge, 3) the hydraulic phase of the solution, 4) the regional development, 5) the water management and sustainable development. The logic and the thoughts of the leading intellectuals who have supported these policies are subject to review and discussion.
Droughts policies; Semiarid; Periodization of drought policies