Forty Years of Land Reform and Resistance in Bahia
Forty years after a procession of small-scale farmers erected a cross in the northeastern Brazilian municipality of Ouriçangas, the historic settlement known as Reforma de Angical spans 19 communities and anchors smallholder agriculture in the region, oe1.orf.at reported. That July 1986 event marked Brazil’s first successful land occupation, turning a 54,000-hectare area previously controlled by the large estate holder Companhia Sertaneja Agropastoril into a space for roughly 1,000 farming families.
The landmark agrarian reform in the state of Bahia coincided with the emergence of Brazil’s New Republic as the nation transitioned away from military dictatorship toward democracy. President José Sarney signed the official expropriation decree on January 8, 1986. Two years later, the mechanism allowing the state to expropriate idle land from large landowners and distribute it to landless families was formally enshrined in the Brazilian Constitution.
The Cost of the Land Struggle in Angical
The campaign by landless families in Angical involved intense conflict. A monument standing behind the cathedral in the city of Barreiras remembers those who died during the struggles for land redistribution in the region. Austrian priests and development workers—dispatched by the ÖED, now known as HORIZONT3000—accompanied the land conflict in Bahia from its inception.
Filmmaker Thomas Bauer, originally from the Austrian state of Vorarlberg but a resident of Brazil for decades, has documented the history of the settlement. Bauer interviewed numerous contemporary witnesses to capture the realities of the country’s first successful land occupation and the ongoing development of the 19 communities that now comprise Reforma de Angical.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Angical Land Reform
Who controlled the land before the 1986 decree?
The Companhia Sertaneja Agropastoril held the 54,000-hectare area prior to the intervention by small-scale farmers and the subsequent expropriation decree.
Which international organizations supported the farmers in Bahia?
Austrian priests and development workers sent by the ÖED, which is now operating as HORIZONT3000, accompanied the land conflict and regional development from the beginning.
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