3 November 2012
International Land Coalition Report on Land Governance in Brazil Backs Peasant Empowerment
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A report, commissioned by the International Land Coalition (ILC), titled 'Land Governance in Brazil: A geo-historical review of land governance in Brazil,' is the second report in ILC's Land Governance in the 21st Century – Framing the Debate Series.

ILCNovember 2012: A report, commissioned by the International Land Coalition (ILC), titled ‘Land Governance in Brazil: A geo-historical review of land governance in Brazil,’ is the second report in ILC’s Land Governance in the 21st Century – Framing the Debate Series. The report analyzes academic paradigms of territorial systems, proposing to achieve sustainability by using policy frameworks to encourage the transformation of peasant farmers into small-scale entrepreneurs. It highlights a program, called the ‘Social Fuel Seal,’ which encourages biofuel producers to establish partnerships with small-scale farmers and offers tax incentives for investing in family farming operations. Other policy innovations include national agrarian reform planning, directly contracting with peasant associations to provide food for school lunches, and a federal program to subsidize all levels of education.

Brazil has experienced substantial growth over the last two decades, quadrupling commodity production and becoming a major exporter, as well as the world’s largest biofuel producer. On the other hand, Brazil’s peasantry faces increasing marginalization and disempowerment in the context of land concentration and growing inequity. The report concludes that the best hope for indigenous peoples and peasants in Brazil is if the Brazilian government not only recognizes territorial divisions, but also begins to establish zoning rules favoring the permanence of peasants.

The ILC is a global alliance of civil society and intergovernmental organizations working together to promote secure and equitable access to and control over land for the poor through advocacy, dialogue, knowledge sharing and capacity building. [Publication: Land Governance in Brazil] [International Land Coalition Website]

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