Landless Women’s Day denounces violence in agriculture and proposes an alternative to the environmental crisis
“Agribusiness is violence and environmental crime, the struggle of women is against capital!”—this is the rallying cry of peasant women from across the country, from March 11 to 14.
From the MST website
As part of the ongoing mobilization and struggle following March 8, Landless Women are carrying out their National Day of Struggles 2025, under the slogan: “Agribusiness is violence and environmental crime, the struggle of women is against capital!” These activities, taking place from March 11 to 14 in all regions of the country, will present the main struggles and demands of women from the Countryside, Waters, and Forests to society.
Throughout this period, women will gather in assemblies, planting campaigns, training sessions, marches, and protests, denouncing the violence perpetuated by agribusiness—not only in the expropriation of women’s bodies and territories but also in the poisoning of people and lands, the commodification of food and nature, the drying up of rivers, and the taking of lives. This model fuels hunger, deepens inequalities, and accelerates the environmental crisis.
The Jornada represents a collective confrontation against the policies and mismanagement of agribusiness, hydropower, and mining corporations, demanding that these sectors be held accountable for their crimes against humanity and the environment.
In this capitalist production system, which perpetuates patriarchal and racist gender relations, controlling the workforce inherently involves the expropriation of women and their humanity—particularly Black women.
When landless women rise up—whether through occupations of large estates, marches, political training, or educational camps—they position themselves directly against capital, challenging its foundations. When they plant trees, they confront violence, build agroecological and feminist alternatives, and declare that another way of organizing life is not only possible but essential—one rooted in human dignity and ecological balance.
The Deception of Agribusiness
Agribusiness presents itself as “AGRO TECH, AGRO POP, AGRO EVERYTHING,” promoting a narrative of being “the world’s granary” and a model for development. However, this is merely a facade that conceals its true role as an agro-exporter of commodities—one that generates violence, hunger, and environmental destruction. Agribusiness also seizes public lands and common goods, benefits from public resources through subsidies and tax exemptions, and prioritizes monoculture and intensive pesticide use—yet fails to produce food to feed the Brazilian population.
As a viable alternative to this destructive model, during the Jornada, peasant women emphasize the urgent need for Popular Agrarian Reform—an essential solution to combat the devastating impacts of capital, including the climate crisis, hunger, and violence in both rural and urban areas.
Denouncing Violence Against Women and Girls
The Landless Women also denounce gender-based violence, which continues to escalate in Brazil. According to the Brazilian Public Security Forum, 2023 recorded the highest number of femicides in the country’s history, with 1,463 women murdered in a single year. This widespread violence also affects peasant women in Agrarian Reform areas.
Currently, Brazil ranks fifth worldwide in violent deaths of women, surpassed only by El Salvador, Colombia, Guatemala, and Russia. Data from the Brazilian Public Security Forum also reveals that states with expanding agricultural frontiers are among the most violent against women and LGBTI+ people.
International Women’s Day: A Legacy of Resistance
International Women’s Day traces its origins to 1910, when it was proposed by German socialist leader Clara Zetkin. The date March 8 was solidified in 1917, following a demonstration in Petrograd (now St. Petersburg), where over 90,000 women marched under the slogan “Peace and Bread,” demanding better living conditions and an end to Russia’s participation in World War I.
March 8 is not the sum total of women’s struggles, but it reaffirms our capacity for organization, resistance, and commitment to revolution. Building 8M connects us with working women across the globe, united in the fight for a free, equal, abundant, and solidarity-driven society.
The 8M Day marks the beginning of the MST’s annual calendar of struggles, symbolized by scarves in vibrant colors, representing the boldness, rebellion, and fighting spirit of Landless Women. This insurgent force drives us forward, keeping our fists raised and our hoes in hand, defending Popular Agrarian Reform—a path that ends hunger and directly challenges the environmental crisis and rural violence.
Sowing Resistance, Defending Rights
The Landless Women remain vigilant, planting seeds of resistance, carrying forward the lessons of Simone de Beauvoir—that rights must be permanently defended, as they are always the first to be questioned in times of crisis.
These are the Aromas of March—the scents of struggle, carried by the Landless Women every day, in the cultivation of land and solidarity, in breaking down the barriers of large estates, patriarchal oppression, and racist power.
The May March continues to ignite the struggles of the working class!
