The Landless Workers Movement (MST) has had an active presence in the Governador Valadares region and in other areas along the Doce River. They began organizing people who had been affected by the dam disaster, people who had suffered the consequences including job loss and lack of clean water.
The new government in Brazil is unrolling austerity policies that are eroding working families’ political gains. In this interview, a member of the MST reflects on the danger and potential of this current moment, highlighting opportunities to build alternatives to capitalism as the current economic system flounders.
Grassroots International was honored to be in attendance at the VIIth International Conference of La Via Campesina and gathered some of our partners' perspectives and thoughts about the conference and their work in the below photo blog.
A version of this piece originally appeared on the Landless Workers Movement’s website. English translation was done by Grassroots International. Peasants from more than 70 countries will gather in Derio, in the Basque Country, between July 16 and 24, where the...
More than 50 Brazilian organizations and social movements working on issues related to the environment, human rights, workers' rights, indigenous peoples and traditional peoples and communities have filed a "Letter in defense of the historic position of Brazil on forest offsets " with the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is in reaction to an attempt to enable the use of forests in offsets, a measure seen as a false solution to the challenge of climate change.
A group made up of Brazilians, North Americans, Puerto Ricans and other nationalities who are part of the "Friends of the MST" (Landless Workers Movement), gathered on the morning of Thursday, June 8 in front of the Brazilian Consulate in Boston on Purchase Street with banners, calling for the departure of President Michel Temer.
The Brazilian political crisis and ensuing violence have intensified rapidly since the institutional coup of August 31, 2016. At Grassroots, we are receiving regular reports from our partners in Brazil listing incidents of attacks, arrests and even assassinations of land rights activists in a wave of right-wing aggression
On May 10, hundreds of community members, climate justice supporters, and grassroots organizations gathered with Grassroots International and the Boston Public Library to share stories and hear words of wisdom from international Climate Justice leaders.
In early May, small-scale farmers traveled from all over Brazil to bring their goods to the second National Fair of Agrarian Reform in São Paulo organized by Grassroots International Partner the Landless Workers Movement (MST).
Through the Climate Justice Initiative campaign (CJI), Grassroots International is raising money to invest in community-led programs that boost climate resilience and provide critical support to movements that are leading the charge for climate justice.
We are learning from our partners that there's another way to produce food that can heal and restore communities and the planet – agroecology.
Grassroots International supported an international learning exchange with our partners and allies, including: We Are the Solution (WAS) in Senegal, Guinea, Ghana; La Via Campesina’s Women’s Commission in Honduras; and IDEX partners from the Surplus People Project in South Africa, Ñepi Behña in Mexico and AFEDES in Guatemala. The purpose of the exchange was to learn and exchange experiences with movements in Brazil.
In September 2016, Grassroots International and our colleagues at IDEX participated in an amazing learning exchange in Brazil.
We join our partners in Brazil in denouncing the recent vote to oust democratically elected president Dilma Rousseff from Brazil. The parliamentary procedures, led by known corrupt politicians, amount to a coup d'etat designed to install conservative policies and right-wing leaders that had repeatedly been turned away by Brazilian voters.
Yesterday, May 12, the Brazilian Senate voted to begin the impeachment trial of President Dilma Rousseff in what many many Brazilian are calling an institutional and neoliberal coup. Dilma has been withdrawn from office for 180 days pending the results of Supreme Court proceedings. For her part, Dilma has vowed to fight the proceedings and has called on supporters -- both of her presidency and of democracy -- to take to the streets in protest.
Right wing forces in Brazil are using all kinds of sneaky tricks to remove the democratically elected President Dilma Rousseff and take power. They have the backing (both official and unofficial) of major corporations, the Brazilian elite and the media (especially the Globo Network who monopolizes media in Brazil.)
The challenges faced by indigenous peoples often transcend geographical location, so it’s not surprising that indigenous groups in India and Brazil share similar stories of oppression and strife.
Humanity cannot solve its problems with one hand effectively tied behind its back. Yet, given the state of women’s rights globally, this is metaphorically the case. One of the guiding principles of Grassroots International's work is the recognition and support of women’s agency in the struggle for justice and liberation – not just to advance women’s leadership (though that is a goal) but also because women’s engagement and leadership are necessary to push us all forward.
Grassroots International and our global partners are leading the way in developing sustainable solutions to the biggest challenges facing our world. From farming cooperatives and seed banks, to passing laws that protect ancestral lands and defending the human right to land, water, and food, together we take on big struggles and win important gains. Below are just some of the successes achieved in 2014 with support from Grassroots International, standing up to challenge poverty, climate disruption and human rights abuses.
Moving Towards an International Declaration on the Rights of Peasants
