Caracas, November 30, 2022 (Press MinComunas) – On Wednesday, the People’s Power Ministry for Communes and Social Movements and the Landless Rural Workers Movement of Brazil (MST) had an online meeting to renew the cooperation and work program led by Minister Jorge Arreaza and Joao Pedro Stédile respectively.
President Nicolas Maduro asked the MST for support in agroecological project development for rice sowing. And last August, representatives of the Movement made a technical visit to the Alcaraván Electronic Complex of Technological Systems, based in Guarico State, and mapped the possibility of technical cooperation. There is a Memorandum of Understanding between the international organization based in Brazil and the Ministry for Communes, signed in 2014.
Minister Arreaza defined the rapprochement as a new stage to generate a political, technical-technological, and social alliance. An alliance between Venezuela and Brazil where the MST and the Ministry under his charge will be the main interlocutors.
He indicated that the moment is right since Venezuela is going through a new transition stage to socialism promoted by President Maduro. Brazil is also starting with the victory of Lula da Silva. He provided MST with the processes and knowledge on the experience of the organization of the People’s Power in the country. Such as the technological tool Communal Integration System (Sinco), run by the Federal Council of Government, enables a direct communication network with Communal Councils, Communes, Social Movements, and any base organization that registers in terms of project financing and articulation in the territory.
“We have always understood, theoretically and in practice, that structural and social changes are only possible in a society where we achieve an equation that combines popular government with strong popular movements with organized masses. We follow with great interest the Venezuelan experience because they have the opportunity to join that equation”, stated Joao Pedro, leader of the MST of Brazil, starting his participation, who thanked the consequent solidarity of the neighboring nation in their political struggle.
Mr. Stédile illustrated the particular experience of the Movement in “organization, production, life in the countryside” so that the Ministry for the Communes decides the benefits for Venezuela, which he divided into the following areas: technical education, “we have invested a lot of energy in developing higher schools of agroecology and cooperative”; political training to raise the level of culture and consciousness; control of seeds, cooperative agroindustry, agricultural machinery and tools, and bio-inputs, fundamental to confront the agribusiness model.
Joao Pedro Stédile presented the idea of establishing a desk or office in Caracas for technological and scientific articulation, which Minister Arreaza welcomed with enthusiasm. The Minister proposed strengthening the University Institute of Agroecology “Paulo Freire” in Barinas, which arose through cooperation with the MST, whose leader pointed out that in addition to this, they must create agroecological schools in the communal organizations.
At the meeting, both parties committed to maintaining communication and establishing face-to-face visits to carry out actions.
