Valéria Amaral
Agência Brasil

Brasília – Some 200 families, part of the Landless Rural Worker Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem-Terra) (MST) have once again moved into a rural property known as Fazenda Agril, located in Vila do Riacho, state of Espirito Santo, which belongs to one of Brazil's biggest paper manufacturers, Aracruz Celulose. The company grows eucaliptus trees in the Fazenda Agril, which covers an area of 8,900 hectares.

Members of the MST first occupied the area in September 2005, at which time the local authorities made an agreement to look into the question of who really owns the area and provide an answer in 30 days.

The MST claims that the land has two problems: it may belong to the government (meaning it is public land) and parts are unoccupied and unused (devoluta), which makes it eligible for expropriation and future use as a settlement area for landless rural workers as part of government land reform projects..

Translation: Allen Bennett