A reference for designing food and nutrition security policies: the Brazilian Fome Zero strategy

Between 2000-2002 and 2004?2006, the undernourished population of Brazil reduced from 17 million to 11.9 million thanks to an integrated effort whose centrepiece was the Fome Zero (Zero Hunger) strategy, launched in January 2003 by the Lula Administration. The strategy combines short?term responses to emergency situations with medium? and long?term responses that help create the necessary conditions for families to guarantee their food security. It recognises that the needs of people living in rural and urban areas differ, and offers a specific set of interventions for each case. The success of Zero Hunger shows that the eradication of hunger and malnutrition needs to be placed at the top of the political agenda, be a shared commitment and be backed by concrete action. This paper hopes that by looking back at how Zero Hunger was designed and implemented, other countries will find a valuable source to draw from, to adapt or take into consideration when tackling food security challenges.