Bernardo Mançano Fernandes
São Paulo State University (UNESP) 

 BMF:  How  do  you  evaluate  the  agrarian  reform policies of the Fernando Henrique Cardoso (FHC) presidency (1995-2002)?

 JPS:  It  helps  to  first  define exactly wha t an agrarian reform policy is. If we understand it as a development policy built on redistribution, that is, the break-up of large of land-holdings, then this did not happen. Just like it’s not happening now with  the  Lula  administration  (2003-present).  It seems that these governments have a tremendous problem  figuring  out  what  it  means  to  have  an agrarian  reform  policy.  If  it  wasn’t  for  the  daily pressure  of  peasant  movements,  they  would forget  about  even  their  own  mediocre  agrarian reform measures. But, we keep the pressure up, because the land is fundamental to our existence. It’s not just getting the land that matters. For the peasantry  to  exist  and  resist,  it  has  to  struggle constantly for a collection of national development policies.  For  this  reason,  the  MST  organizes  not only for land expropriation and small-farm credits and research, but against the privatization of state property and nearly all the neoliberal package. How can you isolate agrarian reform from development policies?  It’s  impossible.  The  FHC  administration had a limited vision of agrarian reform.