Let’s take Brazil off the Hunger Map again, says Wellington Dias

The Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Wellington Dias (PT), says that, despite the increase in food insecurity in Brazil, the government will remove the country from the Hunger Map — a UN tool (United Nations Organization) that measures access suitable for food.

In recent years, Brazil has returned to being above the minimum level of 2.5% of the population in a situation of malnutrition (when a person habitually consumes less than what is necessary for a normal, active and healthy life).

Below 2.5%, the level at which Brazil was from 2015 to 2018, the exact numbers are not even considered by the UN due to the margin of error. After a first increase in 2019 after 18 years, the value rose further in 2020 (latest available) and reached 4.1%.

Dias does not commit to a deadline for the government to reach that goal. He claims that the resumption of other social programs will, with Bolsa Família, expand the fight against poverty.

According to him, the government is going to create a plan for the professional qualification of Bolsa Família beneficiaries who are able to work.

Do you think that Brazil will be able to leave the Hunger Map again? When? Let’s get out of the Hunger Map. Removing Brazil from the Hunger Map for the second time in international criteria by the UN/FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), and also removing Brazil, the fourth largest food producer in the world, from the food insecurity and malnutrition map .

We will have the Single Registry as a reference for socioeconomic inclusion, based on the map of investments in civil construction by the public sector (with Minha Casa, Minha Vida, Água para Todos, resumption of unfinished or ongoing works and new works) and also investments in industries, commerce, tourism and other services, culture and sports.

In everything, we are going to put the fight against poverty as a reference and guarantee the qualification plan for people of working age who are part of Bolsa Família. And also support entrepreneurship by partnering with those who understand how to structure good businesses with sustainability. I believe we will have good results by 2026.

What, in your opinion, was the main advance when Fome Zero became Bolsa Família? ceased to be alone [um programa de] income transfer. It began to focus on care and became family-centered, with social participation and a network of 600,000 professionals in all municipalities and states, integrated with health, education, security, etc. Is the child being fed? What is her weight? Are children and adolescents enrolled and attending school, and being approved? Are the vaccines up to date? Literate adults? If you don’t have a home, can you sign up for Minha Casa, Minha Vida? Everything was integrated.

What is your assessment of the format of the Brazil Aid? What needs to change? The Brazil Aid became a money transfer. They severed relations with the National Social Assistance Councils (CNAS), with the National Council for Food and Nutritional Security and with the Interministerial Chamber of Food and Nutritional Security. The Cras and Creas (service centers for the needy population and used to register families in social programs) were scrapped. A real breach of the federative pact.

What has been the outcome of the program to combat hunger in the 20 years since Fome Zero was launched? What was the balance? The Fome Zero program, launched in 2003 and later perfected as Bolsa Família, took into account the scientific basis. The result of these 2003 programs in the Lula government was the recognition of Brazil in 2014, in the Dilma Rousseff government, and Brazil was left off the Hunger Map and off the food insecurity map and still with 54% of the economically active population in the middle class . But now the hunger has returned.

Why did Brazil end up returning to the Hunger Map in recent years? Because we had the most inhuman president in history [a fome voltou a subir na gestão de Michel Temer, mas se ampliou no governo Bolsonaro]. It was almost impossible to go back ten years in this area and he [Bolsonaro] it achieved. Just look at the tragedy of the Covid-19 pandemic compared to the world or the recent tragedy with the Yanomami in Roraima. Two true genocides, without mincing words. Thousands of people with preventable deaths died from contempt for life, from neglect.