The MST comes to the cities this week to ask for support from all workers, once again, in defense of Agrarian Reform. We want to present a proposal for a new model for Brazilian agriculture, one that actually distributes the land, helps to generate jobs, and produces quality foods at prices affordable to Brazilians.

US Social Forum, Detroit, 2010

Over a half-century ago, Mahatma Gandhi led a multitude of Indians to the sea to make salt—in defiance of the British Empire’s monopoly on this resource critical to people’s diet. The action catalyzed the fragmented movement for Indian independence and was the beginning of the end for Britain’s rule over India. The act of “making salt” has since been repeated many times in many forms by people’s movements seeking liberation, justice and sovereignty: Cesar Chavez, Nelson Mandela, and the Zapatistas are just a few of the most prominent examples. Our food movement— one that spans the globe—seeks food sovereignty from the monopolies that dominate our food systems with the complicity of our governments. We are powerful, creative, committed and diverse. It is our time to make salt.

After eight months of the boycott against the Joint Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry (CPMI) on Agrarian Reform, the parliamentarians of the conservative sectors led by Kátia Abreu (DEM-TO) and Onyx Lorenzoni (DEM / RS) stated the need to continue investigations of the social groups that work in the settlements. During this period, the Agrarian Reform organizations and the ministries of the federal government participated in public hearings of the commission, provided all explanations and demonstrated the importance of partnerships for the implementation of public policies in rural areas.

Brazil is the target of an offensive by big capital, joined by transnational corporations and banks, in an alliance with the capitalist landowners who created a model of organization of agriculture called agribusiness.

Political Education: The experience of MSTin Brazil

Ana Justo, Florestan Fernandes National School,
The Brazilian Landless Workers Movement (MST)

Ana Justo has been a leader of Brazil's Landless Workers Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra - MST) for 23 of its 25 years. The largest social movement in Latin America, the MST has 1.5 million members. The MST struggles for land reform, access to healthcare, schools, organic production and infrastructure by promoting ground-up sustainable development based in the needs of all Brazilians. Ana coordinates the Secretariat of the MST's Florestan Fernandes National School located in Guararema, Sao Paulo.

World transformations in recent years have resulted in the centralization of capital accumulation in the financial sphere and for transnational corporations. These transformations have had serious consequences and resulted in growing conflicts between two worlds of agricultural production. The capitalist model is one of an alliance between large landowners, transnational business and the financial system. The businesses supply inputs, buy materials, control the market and fix the prices of agricultural products.