The 20th Agroecological Rice Harvest Festival started this Friday morning (17th), at the Filhos de Sepé settlement, in Viamão (RS), with the traditional mystique that accompanies the movement since its creation. Soon after, came the moment of study, with the panel Human Law and Food, with the participation of culinarist and specialist in healthy eating Bela Gil, the president of the National Council for Food and Nutritional Security of RS (Consea RS), Juliano Sá , and nutritionist Bruna Crioula.
Mística marked the opening of the MST’s 20th Agroecological Rice Harvest Festival / Photo: Marcelo Ferreira
The president of Consea RS, Juliano Sá, highlighted that the human right to adequate food is being violated. “The fight against hunger is part of human history, but common sense has always treated hunger as a natural phenomenon, as a taboo, something that could not be talked about”. He also recalled the contribution of Josué de Castro, from Pernambuco, after whom the MST school in the settlement is named. Between the 1930s and 1940s, through his Geography of Hunger work, Josué highlighted that hunger was a social, political and economic problem. “Josué de Castro summarizes that hunger is a biological expression of sociological ills.” According to Sá, thanks to the struggle of Josué de Castro and many others, it was possible to include, in 1948, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the human right to adequate food.
Sá recalled the achievements in Brazil, such as the Citizenship Action, Betinho’s work, the creation of Consea and the fight against hunger. “Only in 2003, when Lula took over the presidency for the first time, within the Zero Hunger strategy, was it possible to combine public policies. In 2014, Brazil left the hunger map, but we had a lot to do to end hunger, we We do not touch the agro-food system, income concentration, agrarian reform and other strategic structures.”
The president of Consea RS, Juliano Sá, highlighted that the human right to adequate food is being violated / Photo: Marcelo Ferreira
He highlighted that with the 2016 coup, setbacks began, such as the PEC on public spending, Bolsonarism and its genocidal agenda, the pandemic and the end of CONSEA and policies related to combating food insecurity. “This has resulted in more than 65 million people who have nothing to eat and who live with hunger on a daily basis.” Despite this, he pointed out, the struggle of the social movements was worth it thanks to the solidarity of the MST.
“While agribusiness was profiting and exporting soybeans, farmers and family farmers distributed solidarity with food, mobilizing our networks, community and solidarity kitchens and community gardens. This solidarity was the cry against this violence, this struggle made us succeed once again elect Lula, the return of Consea and the resumption of public policies. We hope, we hope with the MST, we go together, together and together, to fight hunger again.”
:: MST holds 20th Agroecological Rice Harvest Festival and faces challenges to maintain production ::
“Humanity is dying by mouth”
For the first time at the Festa da Colheita, Bela Gil spoke of her passion for the MST and her work in the democratization of food, especially healthy food. “We always have to think about where our food comes from. People forget where the food is coming from and you know very well that food comes from the earth. There is no way to think about democratizing healthy food, without poison, agroecology, without thinking in agrarian reform, without thinking about land distribution. We live in one of the countries with the highest concentration of land. This problem needs to be solved. I have great hope that in this government we will be able to solve this.”
As Bela pointed out, humanity is dying from the mouth, either from lack of food or from the consumption of poor quality food. “We need to solve the distribution. In a country where 157,000 people die a year from problems directly related to the consumption of ultra-processed foods, we urgently need to revisit our food, we need policies that encourage access to quality food, and certainly agrarian reform.”
“In a country where people are eating badly, there is no food, producing food is not only a political act, but also an act of solidarity”, says Bela Gil / Photo: Marcelo Ferreira
Bela also recalled that the country came out of a mismanagement that left more than 30 million people starving “it is necessary to see the way in which we produce, distribute, consume food. really healthy in the pots”.
She also pointed out that Brazil, unfortunately, has been losing in production. “The consumption of rice and beans is the basis of a healthy diet. In a country where people are eating poorly, there is no food, it is not only a political act, but also an act of solidarity, of generosity, to be here and see this movement, this harvest of the largest producer of organic rice in Latin America. It’s good to know that you haven’t lost hope in believing in free agriculture, without poison, free of pesticides, free of transgenics. This is where we need to produce food, food for life, not for death. We know that agro is not pop, it represents something else.”
:: Owner of Prato Fino rice financed deputy campaign that proposed creation of MST CPI ::
Bruna Crioula highlighted the return of Consea Porto Alegre
Nutritionist Bruna Crioula highlighted the return of Consea Porto Alegre with a feast held in Porto Alegre, on February 27th. She also spoke of the importance of the work of the solidarity kitchens and the work of the MST, especially during the pandemic. As she reinforced, solidarity was an important pillar. She also recalled the tons of food distributed by the MST.
“May this feat serve as an example for society, for the society we want to build, and not these representations of slavery that bring our brothers from the Northeast, Argentina and so many other spaces to work analogous to slavery. We know that in the MST, solidarity it’s a guideline.” Bruna celebrated each and every one who put food on her brother’s, her friend’s plate.
“Now it’s about standing tall, strengthening public policies, not being far from community kitchens and making sure that the real food produced by the MST can reach many schools, many nursing homes, many hospitals, many institutional spaces, which can do part of this food system that we want, without pesticides, without transgenics and without work analogous to slavery.”
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Source: BdF Rio Grande do Sul
Editing: Katia Marko
