Fome Zero
Fome Zero ( Zero Hunger ) is a program of the Brazilian government to fight hunger and extreme poverty in Brazil. It was introduced in 2003 by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva . According to the program's website, 44 million people in Brazil are at risk of hunger.
Contents of the program
Fome Zero goes back to an idea of the sociologist Herbert José de Sousa (also known as Betinho ) and was initiated on the occasion of the World Food Day on October 16, 2001 by the Instituto Cidadania , an NGO under the leadership of Lula da Silva. A broad base of organizations from science and politics participated in the project planning.
The program is coordinated by the Ministério do Desenvolvimento Social e Combate à Fome (Ministry of Social Development and the Fight Against Hunger) under Special Minister José Graziano da Silva and consists in registering families in which malnutrition , unemployment or other factors that lead to Hunger exist to provide these families with groceries and food vouchers. Other strategies are e.g. B. the introduction of low-priced restaurants (people's kitchens) and the support of sustainable agriculture .
Fome Zero is the Brazilian government's largest hunger-fighting initiative in the country's history, but similar programs were launched under Fernando Henrique Cardoso's previous government .
criticism
David de Ferranti , representative of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for Latin America and the Caribbean, criticized the lack of clear targets in 2003 . The program also does not address the causes of hunger, namely poverty and income inequality. He also criticized the system of funding and food distribution.
Fome Zero was also described as a failure by the Brazilian opposition parties (mainly the Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira and the Partido da Frente Liberal ). The government was not able to coordinate the program.