Every April, Brazil’s Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) mobilizes thousands across the country to demand land justice, food sovereignty, and agrarian reform. Their efforts are centered around the National Day of Struggle in Defense of Agrarian Reform, observed annually throughout the month and aligned with the International Day of Peasant Struggles on April 17.
This year, between April 1 and 17, more than 50,000 people took part in 55 coordinated actions across the country—marches, vigils, rallies, occupations, and solidarity events—rallying under the slogan: “Occupy to Feed Brazil!”
Demonstrations reached 47 municipalities in 20 states, including major regions in the North, Northeast, Central-West, Southeast, and South. Activists in the Federal District (where Brasília, the capital, is located) also joined regional actions. And the movement isn’t slowing down—additional mobilizations are expected through the end of the month.
So far, the MST has carried out 28 land occupations, launched two new rural encampments, and occupied five government buildings linked to Brazil’s Ministry of Agrarian Development. The goal? To pressure the government to expropriate idle, unproductive land and resettle thousands of landless families—an urgent need in a country with one of the most unequal land ownership structures in the world.
April 17 holds deep symbolic meaning for the movement. It commemorates the Eldorado do Carajás Massacre, where 21 landless workers were killed by military police in 1996 during a peaceful protest for land rights in the state of Pará. It remains one of the most brutal state-sponsored acts of repression in Brazil’s recent history.
Pablo Neri, an MST leader in Pará, reflects:
“For 29 years, this land—Curva do S in the Amazon—has carried the memory of our fallen comrades. It’s where poetry, music, and protest have mixed with cries for justice. The march cut short in Eldorado exposed elite brutality, but also showed the power of organized people. The youth camps, university conferences, and occupations in Pará keep this memory alive.”
Today, the MST is pushing the government to act on long-promised agrarian reform and provide land to the 145,000 families still living in makeshift encampments. The movement emphasizes that small-scale farming and equitable land distribution are key to addressing Brazil’s ongoing food crisis. Despite recent policy efforts, over 21 million Brazilian households still experience food insecurity.
Agrarian Reform and Popular Mobilization: Essential to Democracy
Although Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva returned to office with promises of agrarian reform, fewer than 5,000 MST families have been resettled so far—and many of those processes remain incomplete.
Ceres Hadich, a national coordinator with the MST, stresses that these protests aren’t just symbolic—they’re necessary political pressure:
“Tens of thousands of families have waited decades for land. The government must move faster. Our collective actions are pushing negotiations forward—and we’re starting to see movement.”
President Lula is expected to make two key appearances in April, one in the state of Pará (April 25) and another in Paraná (April 30), to announce new measures related to agrarian reform. According to Hadich, the national actions in March for Landless Women’s Day and the ongoing April mobilizations have helped secure concrete gains.
“These visits are the result of growing pressure and grassroots organizing,” she says. “They show that the president is listening. But more than that, they show how essential popular mobilization is—not just to push reform, but to defend democracy itself.”
To explore what’s been done so far this April, including key actions and events, click here.
This post is also available in Español.