For many years, Brazil
lived the paradox of being a nation with extraordinary agricultural resources
and yet, with millions facing hunger and malnutrition. For that reason, the
Brazilian government implemented the Zero
Hunger Programme in
2003, thanks to which 40 million Brazilians were taken out of poverty in the
last decade. Today, more than 55 per cent of the Brazilian population is part
of the middle class.
The integrated
actions of all different Brazilian authorities involved with the implementation
of the Zero Hunger Programme allowed a planned and articulated policy aimed at
assuring access to the production and consumption of healthy food. It has
enhanced income, created jobs and improved educational conditions, school
attendance, health conditions, municipal infrastructure, access to basic
sanitation and drinking water. We are aware, however, that there is still
plenty to be done, not only in Brazil but also worldwide.
It makes me
extremely proud to see the “zero hunger” battle cry transformed into a global
endeavour and it is reason of great joy to have Pakistan as a partner to fight
this battle together. The launching last March of the Zero
Hunger Action Plan by
the Pakistani government shows well that Brazil and Pakistan can, indeed, work
together on this issue.
In the first
week of December, six Brazilian experts on food security and poverty
alleviation will come to Islamabad to share with Pakistanis the successful
experiences of the Brazilian programmes in these two major subjects. There will
be a one-day seminar followed by two-day bilateral meetings. This
groundbreaking initiative will pave the way for Pakistan and Brazil to identify
areas of cooperation, inaugurating another important chapter in the global
effort against hunger and poverty, as well as strengthening the old and
friendly relations between the two countries and peoples.
It is
important, nevertheless, to keep in mind some essential questions. Brazil
cannot separate food security from agricultural trade issues, as international
trade plays a decisive part in the matter. It is widely accepted that the
biggest obstacle to a food secure world is not the production of food but the
distribution and distortive market mechanisms, such as protectionist policies
and subsidies adopted by many developed countries.
Another
important issue is the necessity
of support to what is known in Brazil as family agriculture, or smallholder
farmers. In Brazil, 70 per cent of all the food consumed comes from
this kind of producer and that should be emphasised on a global scale. By
giving support and strengthening the generation of income for families in rural
areas, we are automatically guaranteeing their nutrition security and boosting
rural production as multi-cropping is a common feature of those properties.
It is also
important to highlight the necessity to increase and improve agriculture
productivity. In Brazil, thanks to agricultural research institutions, we were
able to multiply the production of food without expanding the use of lands and
damaging the environment. This is also an important tool against climate change
and ecological imbalance.
The issues
indicated above must be addressed combined with the implementation of domestic
policies. International cooperation, multilateral activism and the development
of well-structured social protection policies are the formula to face this
massive challenge. In bilateral terms, the Pakistan-Brazil Seminar on Food
Security and Poverty Alleviation is an important step taken by Brazil and Pakistan
to work together in this regard.