With the motto “2003 reasons to march against hunger, poverty and sexist violence”, the Daisies' March (Marcha das Margaridas) gathered around 50,000 women in Brasília, who handed over a list of claims to president Lula. Among the main outcomes of the 2003 Daisies' March, the highlights were the creation of a credit line specifically for women in the Family Farming National Program - Pronaf Mulher; the creation of the National Program for Women Rural Worker Documentation; and the mandatory establishing of shared titling of the land between man and woman. Pictured: Emília Fernandes (left), Benedita da Silva.

The March of Daisies is an initiative of Brazilian women, rural and forest workers, who joined the World March of Women against Poverty and Violence. The event’s name is a tribute to Margarida (Daisy) Maria Alves (1943-1983), the first woman to hold the position of President of the Union of Rural Workers of Alagoa Grande, Paraíba State. Margarida stood out in the struggles for the rights of rural workers, for land reform and against violence in rural areas. She was brutally gunned down on August 12, 1983, in a murder ordered by landholders of the region.