After more than two weeks of mobilization, the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST, in Portuguese) of Rio Grande do Sul state is still encamped at the headquarters of the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Incra, in Portuguese) in Porto Alegre, the state’s capital. The families are waiting to hear back from the government after negotiations held last week with the state government and the president of Incra, César Aldrighi, who will visit Rio Grande do Sul again on Thursday (8).
He will travel to the state to conclude the negotiation agenda and hold a meeting with the state government about the areas belonging to the State Agricultural Research Foundation (Fepagro, in Portuguese) and with the dean of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS, in Portuguese), Márcia Barbosa, about the institution’s areas.
The leadership of the MST met on Tuesday (29) with secretaries of the state government to demand concrete measures to advance agrarian reform. The main demand is the allocation of areas for the settlement of landless families who have been waiting for more than a decade for a plot. The movement also calls for the speedy resettlement of families affected by the floods that devastated the Rio Grande do Sul in 2024.
The negotiating table included the Chief of Staff, Artur Lemos; the Secretary of Planning, Governance and Management, Danielle Calazans; and state technicians. Representing the MST, state leaders stressed the urgency of the agenda. State deputy Adão Pretto Filho (Workers’ Party) also attended the meeting and said there are public resources to invest in land reform.
One of the areas the MST claims is a 1,700-ha unproductive area on the banks of the BR-470 highway in the municipality of Triunfo. The state government, however, claims that the groundwater on the site is contaminated, making it unviable to use. The movement also proposes the use of former Fepagro lands in municipalities such as São Gabriel, Hulha Negra, Santana do Livramento and São Borja. Although the government claims that these areas are still being used, it admits that there are idle stretches.
The movement also demanded that plots already occupied by settled families be regularized. The lack of a land use concession agreement prevents these families from accessing federal public policies. Another issue mentioned was the reconstruction of dams and bridges destroyed by the floods, crucial infrastructure for families to remain in the countryside.
At the end of the meeting, Secretary Artur Lemos pledged to form a task force to address the demands made. The national leader of the MST in Rio Grande do Sul, Maurício Roman, said that the movement will continue its mobilization until the promises become concrete actions.
On Wednesday (30), the meeting was with the president of Incra, César Aldrighi, and the agency’s management of the regional superintendence in Rio Grande do Sul.
According to Incra, three properties in the state are at an advanced stage of negotiation and depend on budget availability and the owners’ continued interest in selling them. At least one of them is expected to be destined for acquisition in May.
“In the line of non-costly acquisitions, the institute is managing the incorporation of areas under the Our Land Program [Programa Terra da Gente, in Portuguese], launched in 2024. These are, for example, properties owned by banks that can be transferred to pay off financial obligations to the Federal Government. Obtaining land in this way is an innovation for Rio Grande do Sul,” said Aldrighi.
In addition, in March, the federal government expropriated a 125-ha rural property in Cruz Alta, where 12 families already live, in order to allocate it to the National Agrarian Reform Program. Incra in Rio Grande do Sul is awaiting the area to be vested in possession to create the settlement.
Roman also pointed out that Incra is committed to releasing by Friday (9) an area in São Pedro, in the flood-torn town of Eldorado do Sul, where 38 families will be settled.
According to him, other areas have also been negotiated, such as a 138-ha area in Arroio dos Ratos, which is expected to be allocated in May. “New acquisitions are expected in July, such as the Itacurubi area, which has been under negotiation since 2024. Incra and the federal government are committed to supporting around 180 families in 2025 with new areas for settlement,” said the MST leader.
Almost 100 km walked to demand land
After a five-day march walking almost 100 kilometers on Rio Grande do Sul’s roads, around 400 MST members arrived in Porto Alegre on April 28 to deliver a series of demands to Incra and put pressure on the state and federal governments. Since then, they have been encamped at Incra’s headquarters demanding the expropriation of unproductive land, new settlements, the resettlement of families affected by floods and advances in agroecology policies.
