Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST)
The Movement of Landless Rural Workers (MST) has become one of the most active social movements in Latin America. The organization was founded in Brazil in 1984 to empower the exploited and landless peasant sector, which at the same time includes the fight for the democratization of Brazilian society and agriculture.
SLM objectives
- Ensure that landless rural workers receive reasonable land for their production and development through the right to property.
- Empower workers to gain liberation from capitalist exploitation by ensuring funding for literacy and education.
- Literate and educate its members.
- Strengthen local industry and employment in sustainable agriculture.
- Fight racism and promote gender equality.
The MST is a non-profit organization that has spread throughout Brazil and has also influenced other liberation movements in other Latin American countries. These groups also seek to achieve the same as the MST in their communities, agrarian reform, economic justice and the right to territorial property.
Achievements of the Landless Rural Workers Movement
For more than three decades the MST has achieved various events that have changed the reality of thousands of landless peasants.
- Significantly raise the rate of ownership and use of land by landless peasants.
- Significantly improve the income of landless peasants.
- Significantly improve primary and secondary education.
- Position itself as the most dynamic field of popular struggle in Latin America.
The MST has shown that, Through the organization of popular social movements, it is possible to generate significant transformations in the most excluded sectors of society.
The organization has become an example of how popular organization can be a factor of change to create a better society for all.
Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST)
The Movement of Landless Rural Workers (MST) is a Brazilian organization committed to social development, the fight for radical agrarian reform, the defense of land, work and human rights, and international solidarity. It is led by landless rural workers and one of the main objectives of the MST is the productive reorganization of agriculture and access to land.
History
The MST originated in 1984, when a group of unemployed rural workers decided to occupy land that had been denied to them by the Brazilian government. The development of the movement occurred at a time of inclusion of the interests of new actors in the countryside, in a framework of social and political struggles for the modernization of agriculture and agrarian reform, and in a process of threat of capitalist interests to the monopoly, speculation and usury in lands. From the beginning, the MST has been strengthening its power of self-defense and resistance to police persecution and abuses of private property. The movement has gained global momentum, with the founding of the World Federation of Landless Workers (FSTMT), with a presence of 88 nations.
Stocks
MST promotes actions as follows:
- Schools: The movement established schools for rural settlements, where children and adolescents receive classes throughout the day. The objective is to raise the educational level of the community to improve activities and guarantee support for the families of rural workers.
- Health: MST has developed health programs for landless farmers. These programs aim to improve the quality of life of those affected by providing free medicines and medical care.
- Promotion of production: MST has developed programs to help landless producers establish and maintain profitable agricultural businesses. These programs include support for production, land preservation, and monitoring of plantations to ensure proper management of natural resources.
- Organization of demonstrations: The MST has a history of organizing demonstrations and filing petitions to claim access to land. These are peaceful struggles to fight against the exploitation of natural resources and social injustices.
Conclusion
The Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST) aims to empower the rural population with access to land and support to improve their quality of life. They have numerous actions to fight for the rights of the rural community, landless workers and peasant communities, such as schools and health programs. The MST is an example of how an organization brings about a positive change in the fight for human rights.