New Model Society

Globalised neoliberal capitalism continues to entrench inequality, environmental degradation, and social division. The Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST), or Brazilian Landless Movement, offer us a route beyond any theoretical impasse or reluctant acquiescence to the enduring social and economic status quo. Through time spent working and living among the MST many of their defining features and activities are mapped. These include land occupations; the organisation of work co-operatively; the practising of agro-ecology; implementation of gender quotas for community leadership positions; and the application of principles based upon the 'common good'. These represent just some of the experiences, challenges, and lessons we as a global community can learn from MST communities as we think about alternative futures.