Since the beginning of the pandemic, social movements in the countryside have organized themselves on two fronts. On the one hand, they faced the economic and health crisis that hit the countryside, which makes it difficult for agricultural production to flow and spreads Covid-19 in areas without medical aid. On the other hand, the movements carried out solidarity actions in the cities. In this section we present initiatives on both fronts: projects aimed at helping rural residents against the impacts of the pandemic and rural-city solidarity projects, in which rural organizations organized the donation of food from family farming to urban entities. This type of initiative occurs throughout Brazil: below are just a few examples.

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Emergency plan for popular agrarian reform

The MST launched a campaign in defense of the Emergency Plan for popular agrarian reform. It contains the necessary protection and production measures to guarantee dignified living conditions for the rural population.

In addition, the movement highlights how the pandemic is related to the advancement of the environmental crisis, from the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources. Therefore, it defends actions around environmental preservation, reaffirming the importance of agrarian reform to guarantee the supply of healthy food, at an affordable price.

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Quilombola Farmers Cooperatives

Field production has been fundamental to guarantee food and nutrition security in urban peripheries. The Cooperativa dos Agricultores Quilombola do Vale do Ribeira (Cooperquivale) guaranteed food for vulnerable families in five municipalities in São Paulo.

The partnership was made between the cooperative and partner community leaders in the municipalities, which, on the other hand, helps generate income for quilombola communities.

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Food delivery by the MST

The MST, in partnership with cooperatives linked to Unisol Brasil , in São Paulo, and Unicatadores , in the Federal District, delivered food to several families in the urban outskirts of both states.

In São Paulo, there were 150 tons of food for vulnerable families in five municipalities in the Vale da Ribeira region. In the DF, 30 basic baskets were distributed to families of recyclable material collectors.

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Solidarity Hands

The Solidarity Hands was a collaboration between volunteers, associations and social movements to combat the effect of the pandemic, especially from the distribution of food in the most vulnerable regions of cities in Pernambuco. It is a solidarity initiative between the countryside and the city that, together with the Periferia Viva campaign, has already distributed more than 50 tons of food produced by the popular agrarian reform. The project also involves the training of Popular Health Agents, with support from Fiocruz. See brochure here .

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Food distribution in Curitiba

MST camps, family farming producers and the oil workers union started a joint action with the objective of donating food and gas to families in Curitiba and Araucárias. 400 loads of cooking gas and 15 tons of food produced in different camps throughout the state of Paraná and by family producers were donated. On July 30, 2020, Mídia Sem Terra (on Facebook) released the distribution of these items and 1100 more loaves of bread produced by the agrarian reform.

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MST distributes food in Aracaju

There are not a few urban communities in Brazil that have received support from rural movements in the fight against hunger during the pandemic. In Aracaju, for example, more than 40 entities received food produced by the Agrarian Reform, the Small Farmers Movement (MPA) and the Popular Peasant Movement (MCP). This type of initiative is a way to dispose of agricultural production impacted by the crisis and at the same time provide solidarity with the residents of urban peripheries. Check the news here .

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Oil workers and farmers prepare food and gas donations in Curitiba and Araucária

The union between oil workers and farmers resulted in an action of solidarity with vulnerable families on the outskirts of Curitiba and Araucária. They distributed 400 loads of cooking gas, acquired through a campaign with oil workers at the Presidente Getúlio Vargas refinery (Repar), and 15 tons of fresh food, donated by peasants involved in agrarian reform in five municipalities and by family farmers in São Jose dos Pinhais. read more here

EESC + Popular Peasant Movement

CESE joined the Popular Peasant Movement (MCP), through the Dual Participation Methodology, supporting the project “Peasant food on the table of vulnerable urban populations”, to contribute to the access to healthy food of impacted families in the city of Goiânia. by the spread of the pandemic. In addition to satisfying the hunger of the most vulnerable urban population in the capital of Goiás, the initiative aimed to guarantee a minimum income for peasant families in the sale of their products. Find information here .

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MST and MPA donations reach 3,300 tons

In addition to the actions of large corporations that have been broadcast daily on television, rural movements have set a great example of solidarity. From March to August, the MST and the MPA have donated more than 3.3 tons of food, helping to combat the greatest fear of the Brazilian peripheries in this period: hunger. In addition to donations, the movements have a central role that reinforces solidarity, agroecology, the importance of social movements and the role of the people in the actions carried out. Read more here .

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Solidarity Hands Action completes 100 days in Pernambuco

Over more than 100 days of mobilization with the Mãos Solidárias , donations were collected that benefited thousands of families in several cities in Pernambuco. Through Solidarity Lunchboxes, 200,000 meals were distributed to the homeless population, around 20,000 Solidarity Masks were produced, in addition to thousands of basic food baskets and more than 50 tons of Popular Agrarian Reform products.

Social movements from the countryside to the city, unions, associations and volunteers have built, hand by hand, a solidarity network that has benefited the most vulnerable communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read here.

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Oil workers and farmers prepare food and gas donations in Curitiba and Araucária

The union between oil workers and farmers will result in an action of solidarity with vulnerable families on the outskirts of Curitiba and Araucária.

The objective was to distribute 400 loads of cooking gas, acquired through a campaign with oil workers at the Presidente Getúlio Vargas refinery (Repar), and 15 tons of fresh food, donated by peasants from the agrarian reform of five municipalities and by farmers. relatives of São José dos Pinhais. Read more here.

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Field movements launch an emergency platform in defense of life

The platform was created by social movements, unions and organizations organized around family farming, agrarian reform, traditional peoples and communities, agroecology and food sovereignty to present to Brazilian society a set of emergency proposals to deal with the effects of novel coronavirus pandemic. The action is aimed at the population of the countryside, forests and water, aims to recover productive capacity and resume a supply policy to rebuild food stocks and face the threat of worsening hunger that is announced in the face of the health crisis. and economy, due to Covid-19. Access here.

Reflections on Brazil in Times of Pandemic: Food Sovereignty

To inaugurate the series of Conferences entitled “Reflections on Brazil in Pandemic Times”, the MST discussed, on 10/15/2020, the topic of food sovereignty. The participants were: Maria Emília Pacheco, anthropologist, FASE advisor and former president of Consea, Letícia Sabatela, actress, Bela Gil, culinary artist and television presenter, Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, former president, José Graziano da Silva, agronomist , professor and former president of FAO, and João Pedro Stedile, from the National Coordination of the MST. Access here.

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