Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was inaugurated as Brazil’s president, bringing hunger and extreme poverty reduction to the center of the federal agenda. This political shift set the stage for a national “zero hunger” strategy that linked social assistance, food access, and support for small farmers.
The federal government introduced Fome Zero (“Zero Hunger”) as a national strategy to reduce hunger and extreme poverty. It brought together emergency measures (like direct assistance) with longer-term actions, including strengthening food programs and family farming.
A federal decree regulated the National Council on Food and Nutrition Security (CONSEA) as an advisory body to the presidency. Rebuilding CONSEA strengthened social participation in food policy by creating a formal space for government and civil society to propose and monitor actions against hunger.
Brazil created the National Program for Access to Food (PNAA), designed to support families facing food insecurity through a unified card benefit or access to food in-kind. PNAA linked cash-like support with local oversight, including a role for CONSEA in social control.
Brazil instituted the Food Acquisition Program (PAA) to buy products from family farmers and direct them to people facing food insecurity and to build strategic food stocks. This connected two goals at once: improving food access and creating a stable market for small-scale agriculture.
A provisional measure created Bolsa Família, a conditional cash transfer program designed to unify and improve earlier income-transfer programs. It became a major delivery mechanism inside the broader anti-hunger strategy by increasing household purchasing power while linking benefits to schooling and health requirements.
Brazil enacted a law formally creating Bolsa Família and defining its purpose as an integrated, conditional income-transfer program. The law explicitly tied the new program to the unification of several earlier initiatives, helping standardize management and expand coverage nationwide.
Brazil’s second National Conference on Food and Nutrition Security (CNSAN II) took place in Olinda, after broad municipal and state preparatory meetings. The conference helped shape priorities for a national food security policy and reinforced CONSEA’s role as a central forum linking civil society and government.
Brazil passed the National Food and Nutritional Security Framework Law (LOSAN), creating SISAN (the National System for Food and Nutrition Security). LOSAN provided a legal foundation for coordinated action across levels of government, aiming to ensure the human right to adequate food through policy planning and social participation.
Brazil approved a constitutional amendment adding the right to food to the list of social rights in Article 6 of the Constitution. This change strengthened the legal basis for national hunger-reduction efforts by treating adequate food as a constitutional human right.
A federal decree regulated LOSAN, instituted the National Policy on Food and Nutrition Security (PNSAN), and set parameters for creating a national plan. It clarified governance and coordination mechanisms within SISAN, supporting more consistent policy execution across ministries and levels of government.
Editors linked to Brazil’s food-security agenda published a major reference volume on the “Zero Hunger” experience, covering its design and implementation over an eight-year period as a government program. The publication reflects how Fome Zero evolved from an initial strategy into a broader set of institutionalized policies, including income transfers, food procurement, and a legal framework for food and nutrition security.
Fome Zero (Zero Hunger) and Brazil's national food security policies (2003–2011)