Brazil
The Interstate Movement of Babassu breakers is a social movement that brings together the babassu coconut breakers. Joining forces over specific conflicts on access and common use areas of babassu oil, which had been surrounded and appropriated unfairly by farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses from the federal and state public policies for the North and Northeast regions of Brazil.
In 1991, with the first meeting of the Interstate breakers Babassu, in St. Louis, led to the creation of the Coordination of Women breakers Babassu. In 1995, the Third Meeting Interstate the name is changed to Interstate Movement of Babassu breakers – MIQCB.
The MIQCB’s mission is to “organize the babassu coconut breakers, to know their rights, defend the palms babassu oil, the environment and the improvement of living conditions in the extractive regions of babassu.”
The humble babassu palm provides a livelihood for communities of women across North Eastern Brazil. Bread, charcoal, oil and soap are produced from the nut and husk; the surplus is sold on. But production has not always been so peaceful. Babassu: Brazil’s Warrior Women tells the story of the hard battle to maintain these communities’ […]