Brazil
Major Report on Land Governance in Brazil Backs Peasant Empowerment
Debate weighs productivity and economic performance of small-scale and commercial farms
October 19, 2012, Rome, Italy - Brazil is a country of paradoxes and contrasts. One the one hand, it is increasingly a global agricultural powerhouse, and has witnessed spectacular growth over the last two decades, quadrupling commodity production and becoming a major exporter to world markets as well as the world's largest biofuel producer. On the other hand, Brazil's peasantry, while playing central role in meeting the country's domestic food needs, faces to a large extent the same kinds of problems confronting small farmers of the Global South: increasing marginalisation and disempowerment in a context of land concentration and growing rural inequities.
Survival International Update on Guarani Land
Raizen signed a historic agreement with FUNAI. The company agrees to stop buying sugar cane from Guarani lands until the 25th of November
A company established by the Shell biofuels in Brazil has dropped controversial plans to purchase sugar cane land stolen from an Indian tribe, after a vociferous campaign by Survival International and the Indians.
The company, Raizen, was established in 2010 as a joint venture of Shell and Brazilian ethanol giant company, Cosan, to produce biofuels from sugar cane.
However, some of that sugar cane is grown on land claimed by the Guarani tribe, an indigenous peoples' most persecuted and impoverished South America Their leaders are often killed by gunmen hired by sugarcane farmers and ranchers, who have occupied almost the entire territory of the Guarani.
LASC SUMMER LANGUAGE COURSES
Intensive Latin American Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese beginning in August.Contact us if you're interested - we can be flexible to accomodate your diary!
THE CLASSES
Beginners
Rio +20 and The People’s Summit
Venue: LASC, 5 Merrion Row, Dublin 2
Date: Wednesday 20th June
Time: 6.30pm
On Wednesday 20th June, to coincide with the day of Global Mobilization, Laura Carvalho, who is currently graduating from the MSc. in Environment and Development from Trinity College, will talk about the People's Summit and explain who these organizations are, what they want and will outline the solutions they offer for Social and Environmental Justice.
About XIII Irish-Latin America Film Festival- Samba Agus Craic in "La Dolce Vita"
From ayearoffestivalinireland.com
On Tuesday night I scarpered up to Dublin for the southern leg of the Irish Latin American Film Festival that had shifted down from three nights in Belfast earlier in the week. The idea behind this festival is to make Latin American short films and documentaries available to the Irish public (just to make us feel a little bit paler and less interesting like!). If these screenings have an Irish angle or even a cupla focail in the voice over, all the better!
The venue was La Dolce Vita, an Italian restaurant in the quieter end of Templebar. The crowd were from all over the world, it was like the UN of hipsters! The main event was a screening of a documentary about an Irish band (Canta Brasil) who play samba music. Rapha Cruz, the Brazillian director was on hand to tell us a little bit about the film and even introduce us to some of the group who were in the audience. The film is called "Samba agus Craic". Perfect!
Many of Brazil's Awá are still uncontacted, and they are running for their lives.
A wave of illegal loggers, settlers and ranchers have invaded their lands, and time is running out.
Today Colin Firth helps us to launch a major new campaign to save the Awá, and we need your help.
'One man has the power to stop the loggers: Brazil's Minister of Justice. But it's just not his priority. Let's push it up his list.' Colin Firth
Call for April 17: International Day of Peasant Struggle
Stop Land Grabbing - land to the tillers!
April 17 is the International Day of Peasant Struggle, commemorating the massacre of 19 peasants struggling for land and justice in Brazil in 1996. Every year on that day actions take place around the world in defence of peasants and small-scale farmers struggling for their rights.
In recent years, we have suffered from the implementation of new policies and of a new development model based on land expansion and land expropriation, commonly known as land grabbing. Land grabbing is a global phenomenon led by local, national and transnational elites and investors, with the participation of governments and local authorities, in order to control the world's most precious resources.
Training and Courses
The classes for this term have already begun. Keep checking for details of new term.
Spanish classes
Portuguese classes
Course Content
Beginners
Latin American Spanish Courses
Spanish classes
Classes for this term have already commenced. There will be an intensive course running this summer. More details nearer the date.
Portuguese classes
Classes for this term have already commenced. There will be an intensive course running this summer. More details nearer the date.
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