The Grande Seca was exacerbated by poorly managed agriculture. Overgrazing, sharecropping, and lack of sustainable agricultural practice compounded the effects of the drought.[5] The majority of the sertão population (sertanejos) were poor sharecroppers,[2] who depended on the winter rains to provide water for crops and cattle.[6] Without adequate preparation the peasants of the sertão were unprepared for extended drought and quickly began to starve.