KOLWEZI, Congo — One day while he was watching TV, farmer Emmanuel Tshiteta saw a news segment about people digging.

With shovels and picks, they forged deep holes, then packed the rocks they uncovered into plastic mesh bags. They carried the bags to a river to wash away the dirt, revealing handfuls of aqua-colored ore. The next day, they sold it for quick cash.

Tshiteta reflected on the small plot of land he farmed on. His corn required constant work, and droughts or floods could ruin the crop altogether. Even if all went as well, he’d have to wait months for harvest time to finally have some cash.

He decided to put down his hoe and pick up a shovel. “Farming takes a long time, but mining is quick business,” he explains.

And in Congo, there is no shortage of minerals to be had. In 2010, Congo had 47 percent of the world’s cobalt reserves and 51 percent of its production. It also has significant quantities of diamonds, copper, tin and other base minerals, according to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

When the value of these increased along with a worldwide demand for electronics and other goods in the mid 2000s, dozens of small companies opened shop in Congo’s mineral-rich Katanga province to purchase and process ore dug by artisanal miners. People in eastern and southern Congo like Tshiteta gave up their farms and began digging holes.

A 2008 study by Promines, an international non-profit, estimated that there are 450,000 to 500,000 people working as artisanal miners in Congo’s four largest mining provinces. The same study speculated that 40 percent of Congo’s artisanal miners are children, although observations from GlobalPost visits to mining sites in the region would put it closer to 20 percent.

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