The Settlement of Lagoao was formed nearly ten years ago when a group of
40 landless tenant farmers claimed the unused land of an absentee farmer.
In Brazil, almost half of all privately owned land is owned by 1% of the
population and more than 300 million acres sit idle.
As part of the Brazilian Agrarian Reform Movement, unproductive land can be
given to landless families. Now Lagoao is a community of 140 families spread
out over a 180 square kilometer area, each growing their own crops and raising
their own livestock.
The lack of schools on the Settlement has meant that many children have to
go live with relatives or friends in other towns, or they just don’t go to
school. The desire for education is so strong though, that many students
travel by foot or bicycle from one to eight miles to go to school. With the
construction of the new schoolhouse in a central location, and the recent
start of school busing, many more students will now attend school.
The Settlement of Lagoao was formed nearly ten years ago when a group of
40 landless tenant farmers claimed the unused land of an absentee farmer.
In Brazil, almost half of all privately owned land is owned by 1% of the
population and more than 300 million acres sit idle.
