Farmers march for land reform in Rio Grande do Sul.

On the 21 - Continuing the National Day of Struggles of Via Campesina – which began on Tuesday – around 4 peasants marched this Wednesday (11) in Porto Alegre. The gathering was at 06:30 am, at the Laçador monument, near Salgado Filho International Airport, and proceeded towards the center of the Capital. Men, women, young people and children walked almost 8 kilometers, demanding Popular Agrarian Reform, the guarantee of food sovereignty, the recognition of the rights of those affected by dams and the creation of public policies for peasant agriculture.

The procession continued along Farrapos Avenue, attracting supporters along the way. As they passed the Porto Alegre Committee for Citizen Action, they were greeted with applause by the workers. “They are the ones who guarantee our food. They are right. Today I took half an hour longer on the bus to get to work, but I understand. We won't achieve anything if we don't fight in this country,” said the Committee's coordinator, Inês Rosa.

Upon arriving in downtown Porto Alegre, the crowd was greeted by residents from the windows of buildings on Avenida Mauá. From the sound truck, the leaders reiterated the reasons for their presence in the streets and asked for the understanding of drivers. “The main reason is that we are opposing the proposed development focused on agribusiness. We want to build an ecologically based agricultural model to feed the Brazilian population, not export to fatten the cows of Europe,” said Ivonildo Vieira, a member of the leadership of the Small Farmers Movement (MPA).

The farmers also demand the settlement of all families camped in the country and the streamlining of the process for releasing agricultural credit to settled families. In Rio Grande do Sul alone, almost 3 families remain camped, waiting for settlement. “Our production represents 80% of Brazilian food. But, unfortunately, it's an invisible production. We need to discuss the marketing model for our product so that it doesn't fall into the concentration of large markets and generate profits for a few,” added Ivonildo.

Movements denounce the displacement of 13 families. 

The protest also demands public policies to end violence and improve the lives of women, as well as the suspension of the Garabi, Panambi, and Itapiranga dam projects on the Uruguay River. Tereza Maciel, a fisherwoman for 10 years, came from the city of Alecrim, the municipality that will host the Garabi-Panambi Hydroelectric Complex, to denounce the displacement of 13 families from the region. “The dams are factories of homelessness. There is still no policy on rights regarding this. So the companies do it in the way they see fit. In the Panambi/Garabi region, the company is already doing pre-registration, but it selects who it believes will be affected. The people who are truly affected are not being registered,” she stated.

The works of Eletrobras in partnership with the Argentine company Empreendimentos Energéticos Binacionales SA (Ebisa) were halted due to protests by the Movement of People Affected by Dams. The estimated cost is US$ 5,2 billion, and the federal government's forecast is to generate 2.200 MW of energy, to be equally divided between the two countries. “What kind of development model is this that confines us to the peripheries of cities? This energy will not benefit our population; it will benefit a handful of people from the upper classes. We know that there are other forms of alternative energy for our country. We don't need to attack the only remaining watercourse we have in the Uruguay River. The other seven dams we have in the state are already extinguishing the golden dorado. We will continue to resist,” defended Tereza.

By decree of former governor Tarso Genro, families in the northwestern region of the state cannot be evicted without a guarantee of relocation. However, the movements have not yet had a meeting with the current governor, José Ivo Sartori. “This is our biggest concern, because we get our livelihood from there. On our property, we are already the fourth generation surviving off that land,” said the fisherwoman.

The peasants left Praça da Alfândega at the end of the morning and headed towards the headquarters of the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Incra), where hundreds of activists have been camped since Tuesday (11). Throughout the afternoon, some leading groups expect to be received by the state government. The day began on Tuesday (10), with actions by the women of Via Campesina, occupation of factories in Taquari and the occupation of the headquarters of the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Incra), in Porto Alegre. The expectation is that they will remain at the site until the end of the Day of Struggle.