Solidarity actions in search of social justice and food sovereignty: the role of the Landless Worker’s Movement (MST) in Brazil (2020-2022)

Abstract

In contexts of crisis, socioterritorial movements act in processes seeking to minimize the effects for the most vulnerable populations. In Brazil, in the context of the health and political crisis (2020-2022), the Landless Worker’s Movement (MST), together with other organizations and institutions, acted in several solidarity actions, especially in food and health donations for these situations, especially in indigenous territories, quilombolas and urban peripheries. The article aims to understand this action, focusing on the strategies used by the MST to put the issue of hunger on its agenda, create territories of sustainability and pressure the State. We used the database built by the Brazilian Network of Researchers of the Struggles for Spaces and Territories (REDE DATALUTA), with news broadcast about the movements' actions, in addition to interviews with the main national leaders of the MST. We show that the movement has operated in all regions of the country, with a focus on the Northeast and South, bringing to light the return of poverty and injustice suffered by these populations. We also point out that these actions are not just donations, but have a political character of formation and strengthening of associations, in the sense of bringing activists closer to communities in search of social justice.