Health in the countryside: paths taken by the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST)

ABSTRACT Health has multiple determinants, including land tenure and the class position of a population group. This article aimed to discuss the concept of health in the countryside, based on the construction of the concept of ‘the countryside’ on the path of education and health within the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST). Documentary analysis of texts developed by the MST itself and research on the movement was carried out, as well as interviews already published to leaders. The concept of ‘the countryside’ has been widely debated by the Education and Health Sector in the MST, emphasizing its meaning as a place of life, and not only of production, which should not be defined only from the antagonism of the city. Rural education is thought by the peasants themselves, favoring their identity, customs and culture. Health has been a concern of the MST since 1980 when health teams were created in the earliest land occupations. The MST has developed meetings and discussion papers on the subject, reflecting on health and claiming, in addition to medical care with priority to promotion and prevention, respect for cultural differences and strengthening of unconventional practices in health.