Brazil inspires South Africa through its “Zero Hunger strategy”

Brasilia, 2 Feburary 2012-  Recently, the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth  (IPC-IG) researchers, Ms. Radhika Lal and Mr. Fabio Veras, met with the Deputy Minister of Social Development, Mrs. Bongi Maria Ntuli, and a visiting delegation composed of advisors and representatives from the National Developmental Agency (NDA), the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), Provincial Heads of Government (HOD) and the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. The purpose of the meeting was to listen to the delegation recap about their study tour of Brazil’s “Zero Hunger strategy”, an anti- hunger and poverty plan to overcome extreme poverty. The meeting also included a briefing by the South Africans regarding the country’s recently launched “Food for All Campaign”. Further, the aim of the meeting was to ultimately provide the delegation greater insight into IPC-IG’s work and hopefully enhance ties in the area of knowledge sharing and policy dialogue.

In December 2011, South Africa launched a “Food for All Campaign”. The purpose of the campaign was to strengthen efforts and complement already established programmes addressing hunger and poverty in the country. The launch of the campaign was seen as a necessary measure to address poverty and food insecurity impacting millions of South Africans, especially woman and children. By way of strengthening the new campaign, South Africa has turned to Brazil for inspiration, as the country has managed to meet significant Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through its “Zero Hunger strategy”, which integrates social assistance programmes.

One of the accompanying members from the ministry, Director General at the Department of Social Development, Mr. Vusi Madonsela had this to say about South Africa’s study tour to Brazil:   

The objective of South Africa’s visit to Brazil was to understudy how the country has managed to reduce poverty, hunger and malnutrition within a space of over a decade. As part of our mission, we visited the City of Belo Horizonte in the state of Minas Gerais, which is where the genesis of the Brazilian Journey began, to a society free from hunger and poverty. South Africa is experiencing similar challenges as are common in the developing world, and Brazil has provided us with a shining example of what can work. Further, the concept of South Africa’s “Food for All Campaign” draws inspiration from longstanding discourse in South Africa in the struggle against Apartheid. Further, the programme is intended to capture the key tenants of Brazil’s Zero Hunger Programme and to apply the design and application to South African conditions.

Other complementary issues were also discussed such as urban and rural development, early childhood development and gender. After a 3 hour session the meeting ended and contacts were exchanged.  South Africa expressed strong desire to continue knowledge sharing and strengthening of relations with Brazil and IPC-IG.

Click  here to see pictures.

By: Charlotte Lazarus*

In October 2011, a South African delegation visited Brazil on a study tour to learn about Social Cohesion policies: Listen to their impressions of the study tour:

Brazil’s “Zero Hunger strategy”

Zero Hunger is Brazil’s national strategy on food and nutritional security consisting of more than 20 initiatives in four areas of intervention:

• Food Access
• Strengthening of Family Agriculture
• Income Generation
• Articulation, mobilization, and social control

The Zero Hunger initiative introduced major programmes such as the “Bolsa Família”, a conditional cash transfer scheme, and it incorporated a range of existing initiatives in an effort to put together a multi-sector array of public interventions to tackle hunger and guarantee universal access to quality food.

Bolsa Família has the largest budget within Zero Hunger, equivalent to over $8 billion USD in 2010, followed by two other programmes: the National Programme for Strengthening Family Farming (PRONAF) and the National School Feeding Programme (PNAE).

The scale of Bolsa Família in recent years, in terms of budget and visibility, could be interpreted as a shift in focus from food and nutritional security to poverty reduction. The maintenance of Zero Hunger itself as a long-term framework for public action brings uncertainties. This is aggravated by the new presidential term that started in January 2010, when President Lula, whose two consecutive terms were Zero Hunger’s implementation period, will be terminated.

Brazil’s new anti- poverty and hunger strategy

In June 2011, President Dilma Rousseff  launched a flagship initiative : Brasil Sem Miséria (Brazil Without Extreme Poverty).  ”Brazil Without Extreme Poverty” is a new multibillion-dollar anti-poverty plan that would focus on 16.2m people still living in “extreme poverty” by expanding the government’s “Bolsa Familia” family stipend scheme – which have helped lift 26 million people out of poverty – and other benefits for small farmers, garbage pickers and others. The government planned to spend R$20bn ($13bn) annually over the next four years.

Learn more about Brazil- South Africa relations relating to knowledge sharing and social protection policies:

Brazil explains flagship programme to eradicate extreme poverty by 2014

South Africa’s “Food for All Campaign”: A promising new plan to tackle hunger and malnutrition?

Study tour on Social Cohesion: Brazil -South Africa- India Dialogue

Public Support to Food Security in India, Brazil and South Africa: Elements for a Policy Dialogue

The Food Security Policy Context in South Africa

Inclusive and Sustainable Development: For Whom?

South-South Cooperation in Times of Global Economic Crisis

Employment Policies in Brazil: History, Scope and Limitations

What can IBSA Offer to the Global Community?

South-South Cooperation – The Same Old Game or a New Paradigm?