Brazil's Lula signs decree to convert São Paulo site into MST land reform settlement

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a decree expropriating a 115‑hectare Atlantic Forest area in the Perus district of São Paulo. The land, previously slated for a landfill by the state sanitation company Sabesp, will be designated for a land‑reform settlement benefiting 55 families of the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) after a 24‑year struggle.

The area, now known as the Comuna da Terra Irmã Alberta, is recognized for preserving native vegetation and water sources. Residents produce about 10 tons of food annually through agroecological farming, operate a cooperative, and host a popular school, a health unit, a children’s program, and a cultural centre. The decree is set to be published in the official gazette on Friday, 31 May.