BRAZIL’S rural communities face death threats and violence as corporations seek to force them from their sustainably managed land, a new Global Witness report claimed yesterday.

The community of Capao de Modesto in Bahia state is one of those facing forced displacement to make way for powerful agricultural producers of environmentally damaging cash crops like soy and cotton, it is claimed.

Locals allege that security guards hired by a group of major soy producers have carried out violence, destruction of property and death threats, while the community also faces litigation to prevent it from accessing its lands.