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| “In
Brazil, FDH supports the Movimento sem Terra (MST) in
the fight for social, economic, political, and human
rights for landless peasants.” |
| MST (Movimento sem Terra):
In a country where 43% of the land is owned by
1% of the population, MST fights so that the right to
land access, stipulated by the constitution more than
50 years ago, is finally granted. FDH’s support
for MST came before its official founding in 1984. Allowing
peasants to live and work in dignity—that is the
goal in this struggle.
Fighting against the systemic inertia of the authorities,
MST put in place a strategy of land occupation and reclamation
that took place in two phases: the “accampamento,”
building temporary encampments on unused land; and the
“assentamento,” or the permanent settling
of families. Currently, 80 000 families without
land are waiting for their land rights to be recognized.
Movimento sem Terra website:
www.mst.org.br
To learn more:
An
Endless Fight for Education
Archives:
Twentieth
Anniversary of MST, seen by its leaders
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| An
“accampamento” just outside of Porto Alegre
Each encampment has a tight organizational structure
organized by the peasant families themselves. The families
are directly involved in running all aspects of daily
life in the accampamento—building upkeep with
tarps and plastic, school, health (medicinal plants),
water, and the general store.
To obtain political clout, these families of landless
farmers are sometimes required to live in these encampments
for several years. Community life in the “accampamento”
resembles life in the “assentamento.” .
© FDH |
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| An “assentamento,”
a few kilometers
from Porto Alegre
After their precarious lives in the “accampamentos,”
the landless peasants have gained the right to move
onto livable and farmable land. Construction of permanent
dwellings to house the families, and being able to work
the land in dignity, are now becoming possible. Certain
families decided to start a cooperative that, thanks
to the sharing of labor and equipment, allows them to
invest in quality material and to diversify production
and revenue (purchase of livestock and farm equipment,
milk and egg production, and building storage sheds).
© FDH |
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Brazil - Movimento sem Terra
