State deputy Adão Pretto Filho (PT-RS) states that his commitment to the fight for land is written in his DNA, as his father was one of the founders of the Movement of Rural Workers and Landless Farmers (MST) in the early 1980s.
Adão Pretto, Sr., was the first small farmer to be elected to the Rio Grande do Sul State Legislative Assembly (ALRS) in 1986, always marking his terms with the maxim to "keep one foot in the fight and the other in the parliament."
"I am very proud to declare on the Assembly Legislative tribune my origin, that I come from the MST, that I have participated in camps, that I have taken part in social struggles," says Adão Pretto Filho, who is running for reelection in 2026 and is the brother of PT's candidate for vice-governor in the state, Edegar Pretto.
Currently, Adão Pretto Filho aims to consolidate this work in the Rio Grande do Sul State Legislative Assembly, advocating for the need to maintain constant harmony between grassroots mobilization and political representation in institutional power spaces.
"We understood that the priority in this election is the reelection of President Lula. And also to win the government here in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. We need to keep President Lula and win our national project," he reports.
Pretto explained that this understanding, tonationalize the contest, led to a strategic shift by the PT in the state, agreeing not to be the candidate for governor and to compose the candidacy withJuliana Brizola (PDT).
The PDT has entered the race to support President Lula. And Edgar, my brother, in a grand manner, in my opinion, few would do what he did, took a step forward and gave up [the candidacy] for Juliana, who is Leonel Brizola's granddaughter, our candidate.BdF Interview.
The congressman states that the presence of popular leaders in legislative positions functions in a complementary way to popular mobilizations, serving as a tool to channel the demands of rural workers.
While external pressure is vital for guiding any government, occupying the parliament, Pretto argues, is the guarantee of a direct spokesperson for popular movements.
Politics is like cooking beans: it has to be done under pressure. Whether it's the federal government or the state government, someone needs to take charge. But the institutional struggle is also crucial to have a leader, a spokesperson to convey their demands and claims.
In response to narratives criminalizing the movement, Adão Pretto emphasizes the concrete and economic contributions of land reform to the state, noting that Rio Grande do Sul now hosts the largest organic rice production in all of Latin America.
"Vegetables that supply many markets in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, including here in the capital of the Gaúchos and Gaúchas in Porto Alegre, come from land reform settlements. They are agroindustries, organized cooperatives, that give us a lot of pride," he reports.
Adão Pretto also recalls the tragedy that struck the state and speaks of the active solidarity network built by the settlements, which organized solidarity kitchens and donated tons of healthy food to urban populations, not only during the rainfall episode but also during the pandemic period.
"Investing in agrarian reform is to give dignity to people, to produce healthy food, to preserve nature, it is the care for the common good," he concludes.
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