THE Land reform is a set of proposals, measures and changes in laws that aim to promote the distribution of land in the country. It is not just a matter of allocating rural properties to those who do not own it, but also of guaranteeing conditions for support by small and medium rural producers to avoid new problems with the concentration of lands.
In Brazil, there is a serious problem of land concentration, that is, the concentration of land ownership. Large properties predominate, called latifundia.
Some data reveal that less than 2% of rural properties in the country have more than 1,000 hectares. However, these properties occupy almost 45% of the territory. On the other hand, small properties, with less than 100 hectares, represent more than 80% of the properties, but together they only occupy 20% of the territory.
Translating: there is a lot of land in the hands of few people and little land in the hands of many.
For this reason, it is important to carry out an agrarian reform policy in the country, in order to reduce the number of large estates, mainly those considered unproductive, and better distribute land tenure, generating more income and work for the field worker.
The main social movement fighting for the implementation of agrarian reform in Brazil is the MST (Movement of Rural Workers Without Land) which, contrary to what many people think, is not the struggle of people for land for themselves, but the struggle against concentration land ownership.
Rural workers during the 5th MST congress, in 2007. ¹
The federal government agency responsible for discussing, preparing and implementing agrarian reform in the country is the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Incra), created in 1970. Incra's main objectives are to establish a policy for the application of this reform, to mediate conflicts in the rural environment and mediate negotiations regarding the occupation or invasion of land in the environment agrarian.
Incra logo
Although there is an advanced discussion in the country about agrarian reform, its application, apparently, can still take a long time, due to political disputes and the lack of dialogue between the State and the social movements of the field.
If implemented, the agrarian reform would contribute to the reduction of poverty, rural unemployment, rural-city migration and social inequalities.
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¹ Image credits: Brazil Agency
By Rodolfo Alves Pena
Graduated in Geography
