Abstract
The failure of Brazil's judicial system to bring large land owners and gunmen to justice for murder, slave-like peonage, and violent land expulsions of peasants from land has driven landless families to the northern most reaches of the country, the Amazon region, in search of safety and subsistence. There the conflict between small holders and unsatiated large landowners continues. The actors in the confrontation include innumerous indigenous people, and those involved in extractionist activities such as gold mining and rubber tapping.
2. Description
Few know about the relationship between the destruction of the Amazon Rain Forest to the land acquisition practices of ranchers (fazendeiros) and the migration patterns of landless farmers in Brazil. In 1988, 79 large landowners' property (latifundios) were almost equal to that owned by more than 3 million small landowners (minifundios). Large landowners (this includes ranchers) are notorious for amassing more land by expelling small isolated farm families from their property. Expulsions are violent and often lead to torture and murder.
Small farmers are removed from their properties by assassins hired by large landowners, most of which belong to the infamous Uniao Democratica Ruralista (UDR). Such violence compels landless families, Os Sem Terra, to flee to Brazilian urban areas, but high inflation (735% in 1975) prevents the poor from securing employment, housing, and food. Families return to the countryside to find unclaimed land on which they can grow their pao de cada dia -- daily bread. Audacious civil protest in the form of peasant land invasions is galvanized by the lack of political support the landless poor receive from the government and the political awakening of civil society regarding human rights.
a. Facts on land distribution in Brazil:
There are 851,400,000 hectares of land in all of Brazil.
52% of the total area is considered rural land
Only 12% of Brazil's land is owned by small producers (100 hectares or less) and yet they produce 80% of the nation's food.
43.5% of all rural land is owned by latifundistas.
For added emphasis, note that a mere 79 large landowners own 4.5% of Brazil's rural area or countryside.
Twenty (20) of the latifundistas own 2.2% or 18.88 million hectares in Brazil's rural zones.
The above information is documented by the government agency, INCRA (the Office of Colonization and Agrarian Reform).
