Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra

Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra
source
Name	Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra
Formation	1984
Type	Social movement
Headquarters	São Paulo
Region served	Brazil
Leader title	National Coordinator

Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra is a Brazilian social movement formed in 1984 that advocates for agrarian reform and land redistribution in Brazil. It emerged from peasant mobilizations linked to rural unions, indigenous struggles, and socialist currents, and has engaged in land occupations, political alliances, and cooperative settlements. The movement has interacted with Brazilian political parties, trade unions, churches, and international solidarity networks while facing legal disputes and media controversy.

History

The movement traces origins to late 1970s and early 1980s peasant mobilizations in São Paulo (state), Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, and Minas Gerais alongside figures associated with Brazilian Communist Party, Partido dos Trabalhadores, Landless Workers' Movement founders from local rural trade union circuits, and clergy linked to Pastoral Land Commission initiatives. Early mass mobilizations echoed tactics used by Zapatista Army of National Liberation sympathizers and aligned with land reform debates in the Constitution of 1988 process involving legislators from National Constituent Assembly. Throughout the 1990s the movement organized occupations during administrations of Fernando Collor de Mello and Fernando Henrique Cardoso, later engaging with policies under Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff. International attention peaked with solidarity from Via Campesina, Oxfam, and academic research by scholars at Universidade de São Paulo, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, and Universidade Estadual Paulista. Major confrontations occurred in regions such as Bahia, Mato Grosso, Maranhão, and Amazonas during disputes involving landowners represented by Confederação da Agricultura e Pecuária do Brasil and law enforcement actors including Polícia Militar and federal agencies.

Ideology and Objectives

The movement articulates goals rooted in agrarian reform debates historically associated with Landless Workers' Movement predecessors, socialist influences from Marxism-inspired currents, and liberation theology currents from Latin American Episcopal Conference activists. Key objectives include redistribution of unproductive estates under statutes like the Brazilian Civil Code property provisions and policies influenced by the Constitution of 1988 land regularization articles. The movement emphasizes cooperative production models drawing on precedents set by cooperative movement experiments in Cuba, Zanzibar, and Brazilian settlements linked to agrarian policies from Ministry of Agrarian Development (Brazil). Its program connects with international frameworks such as campaigns by Food and Agriculture Organization and networks including Via Campesina.

Organization and Structure

Organizationally the movement operates through local rural trade union cells, regional coordinating committees in states like Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Sul, and a national coordinating body that convenes periodic national congresses with delegates from settlements, cooperatives, and educational brigades. Internal governance draws on participatory assemblies comparable to models used by Movimento Sem Terra-inspired collectives and consultative processes influenced by Workers' Party organizational culture. The movement maintains alliances with NGOs such as Pastoral Land Commission and research partnerships with universities including Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais for agronomic and sociological support. Logistics for occupations and settlements have involved coordination with state agencies like Instituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária.

Land Occupations and Settlements

Tactics include large-scale land occupations targeting large landed estates and idle properties in states like Goiás, Ceará, and Paraíba, followed by negotiation or confrontation with landowners represented by organizations such as Confederação Nacional da Agricultura. Successful occupations have led to formal settlements recognized through titles issued in processes influenced by Instituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária programs, and to the creation of cooperative agricultural production units inspired by models from MST settlements and international co-ops. Notable settlement projects have integrated agroecology initiatives linked to Embrapa research collaborations and market access efforts via networks like Cooperativa Central de Comercialização. Confrontations over occupations have involved legal cases in the Supremo Tribunal Federal and incidents with regional police forces such as Polícia Militar do Pará.

Social Programs and Education

The movement runs social programs including literacy campaigns, health brigades, and agroecology technical assistance, collaborating with institutions like Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Ministry of Health (Brazil), and Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Education initiatives include the organization of popular schools and technical training centers modeled on pedagogical approaches influenced by Paulo Freire and partnerships with cultural institutions such as Casa de Cultura projects. Programs emphasize food sovereignty aligning with initiatives by Food and Agriculture Organization and agroecological transitions promoted by Embrapa research centers. The movement also publishes newspapers and periodicals distributed through networks connected to Partido dos Trabalhadores communicative channels and independent media outlets.

Political Influence and Legal Challenges

Politically the movement has exerted influence through alliances with actors like Partido dos Trabalhadores, endorsements of candidates including Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and lobbying during legislative debates in the National Congress of Brazil over agrarian policy and land regularization. It has been subject to injunctions, criminal prosecutions, and civil suits involving federal courts such as the Supremo Tribunal Federal and regional tribunals, and faced inquiries by public prosecutors associated with Ministério Público Federal. Legal controversies have involved debates over the interpretation of property rights under the Brazilian Civil Code and enforcement actions by police units including Força Nacional de Segurança Pública.

Criticism and Controversies

Critics include rural producers' organizations like Confederação da Agricultura e Pecuária do Brasil, conservative political figures from Sistema político brasileiro factions, and media outlets advocating property-rights perspectives, who accuse the movement of illegal occupation tactics and economic disruption. Human-rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and domestic NGOs have simultaneously criticized excessive force by security forces in confrontations. Debates continue in academic forums at Universidade de Brasília and Fundação Getulio Vargas over the movement's economic impacts, governance of settlements, and relations with political parties including Partido Democrático Trabalhista.

Category:Social movements in Brazil Category:Agrarian movements