MST

The MST, Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra, is a mass social movement of Brazil’s landless rural workers who seek access to land, the promotion of agrarian reform, and broad social and political changes in Brazilian society.

The movement also operates as a trade union working for agriculture policies geared towards the needs of small producers. In practice the movement sets up occupation camps on unproductive ranch lands owned by rich landowners. These camps are run by the landless people themselves. They make the land productive planting their own crops and they are involved in education creating political and social awareness. Set up in 1984, the MST is now one of the largest and strongest social movements in Latin America.