BRAZIL: MOVIMENTO SEM TERRA CONTINUES LAND TAKEOVERS.
| Cargo | Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra |
The Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) has stepped up its occupations of nonproductive land, saying it wants the government to move more quickly on its commitment to agrarian reform. While some media and analysts are describing the actions as "the end of the honeymoon" for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the MST says it is merely continuing its longstanding strategy. A greater problem for the Lula administration than the MST land takeovers could be the emergence of paramilitary organizations linked to large landowners openly vowing to block MST actions.
The MST was founded in 1984 to press for agrarian reform through a strategy of occupations of nonproductive haciendas and estates. The organization now has 500,000 members in 23 of the 27 states, and is considered the most successful grassroots organization in the country.
President Lula's Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) has always been a strong supporter of MST demands. Brazil has one of the most unequal land distributions in the world, with less than 3% of the population owning two-thirds of the country's arable land, and the poorest 40% owning just 1% of the land. At least 50% of the arable land lies idle, while 4.8 million Brazilian rural families lack land. The MST says 11% of campesinos have no income, while 47% earn about the level of a minimum salary (US$57 a month). Since 1987, more than 450,000 families have gained title to 22 million hectares of land through MST land takeovers.
During the campaign, Lula said, "I am the only possibility for a tranquil and peaceful agrarian reform, without the need for any land occupations or violence."
But now in office, Lula is constrained by many pressing demands and a lack of resources. In January, his administration said it would expropriate 200,000 ha of unproductive land for redistribution. But the MST said that was only a fraction of what is needed.
When Lula met on March 11 with 2,000 mayors, he asked for patience, and he mentioned specifically the need to carry out a well-planned agrarian reform that would not only give landless campesinos land, but the assistance they need to successfully farm it.
Escalation or ongoing policy?
MST land takeovers at the rate of a few a week have been carried out since Lula took office, but the pace has recently been stepped up.
On March 6, about 500 women and 100 children set up tents at the headquarters of the Instituto Nacional de Colonizacao e Reforma Agraria (INCRA) in the Goias...
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