“We are resuming the demarcation of Quilombola lands with full force”, declared Denis da Silva

Manaus (AM) – A career server for 23 years, graduated in Philosophy and Pedagogy, with a doctorate in Social Anthropology from the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM), Professor Denis da Silva Pereira, has presided over the position of Regional Superintendent of the National Institute of Colonization and Reform for two months Agrarian (Incra).

Exclusively to Em Tempo, the also servant of the Federal Institute of Amazonas (IFAM), said that the Food Acquisition Program (PAA), had an investment of only R$ 2.5 million, received an adjustment in the new government and passed to BRL 500 million and that the institute, under its management, will prioritize actions involving family farming, traditional peoples and communities, the environment, sustainable economic models and, of course, the sovereignty of the peoples of the Amazon.

Denis da Silva carried out research and extension work with family farmers settled by INCRA and SUFRAMA, in addition to being joint coordinator of the Projeto Saberes Indígenas Escolar in Maués and Autazes. A PT militant since the 1980s, he is currently coordinator of the party’s Human Rights Sector in Amazonas.

In time – You took over the position of superintendent of Incra, considered one of the most important of the federal government in Amazonas, almost two months ago, what was the scenario that you received the Institute? How was the structure and functioning of the institution?

Denis daSilva – When I took over the Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform SR15 Amazonas, I came across a challenging reality, considering the multiple dimensions of problems:

Precariousness or paralysis of Public Policies that are Incra’s attributions: Creation of Settlement Projects, technical assistance services, structuring of branch lines, credit, construction of houses in agrarian reform settlements and traditional communities, promotion of the agro-industrial development of associations and cooperatives of family farmers, land regularization, the National Education Program for Agrarian Reform (PRONERA), among others. Need for restructuring, redeployment and creation of new action fronts.

Radical precariousness of the workforce, quantitative insufficiency of servers; around 50 percent of our civil servants entitled to retirement, lagged wages. Incra survived due to the resilience and dedication of its employees;

Physical structure of the headquarters Unit and Advanced Units in total deterioration and insufficient budget left by the previous government.

ET – What planning for the coming months? What will be the focus of the Institute?

Denis daSilva – At this first moment, we are in full reorganization of the management team, aiming at a higher level of rationalization of flows, adapting the different profiles of our staff to the existing sectors. The superintendence has prioritized listening to society’s demands and seeking to respond to them with regard to local attributions, considering the conditions imposed by reality; we are gradually receiving information about the new national structure of INCRA, in the sense of resuming public policies and restructuring the body.

I record that the Food Acquisition Program (PAA), which the former government left with 2.5 million, received an adjustment by the new government, going to 500 million; We are mobilizing our Agrarian Reform Settlers, traditional peoples, to vote on the Multi-Year Plan on issues that correspond to our fundamental interests, such as Agroecology and Family Farming.

I register that we have resumed with full force the demarcation of Quilombola lands – Barreirinha – Quilombos of the Andirá River are in the final stretch; Quilombo de Serpa in the municipality of Itacoatiara in the process of preparing the RTID (Technical Identification and Delimitation Report) and finalizing the Anthropological Report;

Incra joined the Land Regularization Nucleus ordered by the National Council of Justice (CNJ), under the coordination of the Corregedoria of the Court of Justice of Amazonas, Judge Jomar Fernandes, aiming to guarantee the full land regularization of the legal Amazon; I am currently undertaking visits to the municipalities of Amazonas to learn about the pressing challenges.

Incra Amazonas will do everything necessary to implement the policies that will be demanded by the Federal Government, seeking partnerships with other Institutions so that we can be a reference in Sustainable Development.

ET – Incra is best known for carrying out agrarian reform. But it is also the body responsible for managing the land network and for regularizing quilombola territories. How will these communities integrate with the institute?

Denis daSilva – The previous government did not allocate resources for structuring branches. However, Incra, in partnership with the city halls, is structuring branches, including paving, as is the case of Vila Amazonas, in Parintins, through the transfer of a parliamentary amendment by Senator Eduardo Braga. Our expectation is that from now on we will have direct resources from the Federal Government and other parliamentary amendments. Currently four municipalities are being benefited: Parintins, Careiro, Apuí and Itacoatiara.

However, five municipalities had commitments of amendment resources canceled by the past federal government. With regard to the quilombolas, as I mentioned above, we will enforce the Constitution in order to guarantee the titling of their territories.

ET – For more than 30 years you have been a member of the PT and coordinator of the Human Rights Sector of the party in Amazonas, nowadays how are you reconciling your tasks at Incra with your functions in the party?

Denis daSilva – My dedication to Incra is integral, a practice I already adopted at the Federal Institute of Amazonas (UFAM), where I am a civil servant. However, the complexity and the different actions of Incra impose high daily hours of dedication on me. Even so, those of us who are active in politics for believing in and defending a fair and fraternal society, which guarantees a good life for all people, give up our weekends every day, dedicating long night hours to organizing and building the fight.

So I continue to militate in my political force, Socialist Resistance; in the core base of Agida Santos. Our challenge has been in carrying out Human Rights activities, given the overload of agendas and lack of resources, which resulted in meager actions. We have an action plan from the Sectorial and the Human Rights Sector of the State Executive, represented by colleague Moisés Aragão, and we will seek to execute it. The Human Rights Sector is at the core of all peoples’ struggles, it represents the cry in defense of human dignity and, precisely for this reason, it is so attacked by the powerful that control the apparatuses.

ET – You carried out research and extension work with family farmers settled by INCRA and Suframa, with quilombolas from the Andirá River. Are there any plans to continue the projects aimed at these farmers?

Denis daSilva – As a class and identity researcher (understood as complementary), I have developed some research and actions in Quilombola communities. I record that the elaboration of the Specialization Course Project for teachers who work in Traditional Communities, PEDDA (Educational Policies, Diversity and Development in the Amazon) to be carried out as a first experience, in the quilombos of the Andirá River, was my last task at IFAM CMZL, as a member of the formulation team.

I hope that Incra can, through PRONERA, help in the execution of this course. In addition, I still guide some academic work developed with Settlers and we are finalizing extension work with farmers in the city of Manaus in the Suframa Agricultural District.

ET – In February, Incra asked for the annulment of the sale of a farm with more than 150 thousand hectares, between the municipalities of Pauini and Boca do Acre (AM) and Manoel Urbano (AC), by a company controlled by Spaniards. In your management, do you intend to follow this line of reanalysis of land sales, mainly by foreign people or companies?

Denis daSilva – Regarding Land Management in Amazonas, we will follow the legislation. Privilege will be given to family farming, traditional peoples and communities, the environment, sustainable economic models and, of course, the sovereignty of the peoples of the Amazon, as understood by the current government. Without practices of xenophobia, but with vigor in defending the autonomy of our socio-diversity, understanding our responsibility for the development of the country and our planetary importance.

ET – How can people who are interested in regulating their land or signing up to win one gain access? Which ones have that right?

Denis daSilva – Land regularization must be requested from Incra through a request in the Protocol; where Incra still hasn’t managed to accomplish; regarding Settlement policies, in traditional communities Incra only recognizes families; In settlement projects (PA), whether for the occupation of lots in settlements that have already been created or that will be created, INCRA will publish public notices with the criteria for future beneficiaries of the Agrarian Reform, which, I anticipate, will be a consistent policy of the Lula government .

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