Fome Zero

Fome Zero ( Zero Hunger ) is a program of the Brazilian government to combat hunger and extreme poverty in Brazil. It was introduced in 2003 by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. According to the website of the program, 44 million people are at risk of hunger in Brazil.

Content of the program

Fome Zero is an idea of the sociologist Herbert José de Sousa back (also known as Betinho ) and was the occasion of World Food Day on 16 October 2001 by the Instituto Cidadania, an NGO under the then leadership of Lula da Silva initialized. A broad base of organizations from academia and politics was involved 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, is to register families where malnutrition, unemployment or other factors that lead to hunger lead, are in place to provide these families with food and food vouchers. Other strategies such as the introduction of low -priced restaurants ( soup kitchens ) and the support of sustainable agriculture.

Fome Zero is the largest initiative of the Brazilian government to combat hunger in the country's history, but similar programs have been started under the previous government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso.

Criticism

David de Ferranti, representative of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for Latin America and the Caribbean, in 2003 criticized the lack of clear objectives. The program also does not fight the causes of hunger, namely poverty and income inequity. Also the system of allocation of funds and food distribution was criticized by him.

Fome Zero is also used by the Brazilian opposition parties ( Social Democracia Brasileira da da Frente Liberal and the Partido mainly by the Partido ) a total failure. The government was not in a position to coordinate the program.