Grassroots Organizing Initiatives among Rural, Forest, and Water-Dependent Populations in Response to COVID-19

Abstract

Rural, forest, and waterside populations present a diversity of social and associative organizations that, in the context of COVID-19, developed several actions aimed at protecting their communities and peoples from the virus. Objective: To map health protection initiatives developed by rural, forest, and waterside populations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: This is a qualitative study with itinerant data collection conducted from December 2021 to May 2022. Data were collected through participant observation and 15 interviews with members of the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) and three quilombola associations, covering three regions of Brazil: the South, Southeast, and Northeast. Results: Actions related to popular health surveillance, popular health education, food and nutrition security, agroecology, solidarity, traditional and popular health care practices, and mental health practices were mapped. Conclusion: The mapped initiatives were important for the defense of life and for protection against the spread of the COVID-19 virus, both for rural, forest, and waterside populations and for residents of large urban centers. These initiatives were developed from an emancipatory perspective on health, emphasizing political education, human emancipation, and environmental preservation.