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Appeal - Peasant communities expelled by mining companies in Brazil

the saga of a family from Goiás against a US corporation

Since 2014, I have,  as a researcher, organiser, and citizen, followed the impacts of mining companies, currently CMOC (China) and Mosaic Fertilizantes (United States) on the lives of rural producers in the Communities of Catalão and Ouvidor. They are being expelled from their lands and do not have fair compensation. When they do not accept the price (below the market price) offered by the mining companies, these companies insert the price they want in court and, under the law, expel peasant families from their lands. This one, in the photo, is one more ... I know Edimar and Maria Isabel ... their children, grandchildren ... their dreams. I have seen them cry at public hearings and ask for support for their cause that is just, legitimate and necessary. They are suffering only because they want a fair price for their land, because they need to buy other land and get on with their lives. Their situation has been subject to legal procedures for years and in order to survive they leased a piece of land to get milk and make cheese. How long must we live with this? Contaminated water, air pollution (like the stench of cockroaches), diseases in families in the region, principally neoplasms; that is, cancer. What's going on? Where are the environmental agencies? The State is silent, absent. The State and Federal Public Ministry have already received the formal denouncements. But so far, those who are with families and "hold the horn of the ox" are few: Pastoral Comission for the Land (CPT), some teachers, students, social movements, etc. The struggle for life is our only alternative. Help spread the word and support these families.

More information about this conflict:  https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2021/03/20/expulsos-pela-mineracao-a-saga-de-uma-familia-goiana-contra-uma-gigante-dos-eua

Marcelo Mendonça is a Professor at the Federal University of Goiás