Food Security: The Brazilian Case

This 2010 policy report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the relationship between international trade and food security in Brazil. It concludes that while Brazil has become a major global food exporter and maintains sufficient national food availability, chronic food insecurity persists due to income inequality and poverty rather than trade-driven shortages. The report details the role of government price supports, the impact of fertilizer costs, and the transition of the Brazilian diet due to urbanization.

• Brazil has transitioned from being a net importer of food to a net exporter over a period of less than thirty years, driven by increases in both agricultural productivity and the cultivation of new land areas.
• At a national level, Brazil produces more than enough food to meet the nutritional needs of its population, with a per capita food availability of over 340 kg (grain equivalent) per year, which is approximately one third above nutritional requirements.
• Despite sufficient national food availability, nearly one third of the Brazilian population experiences food insecurity. The report asserts that hunger in Brazil is caused by an inability to afford food due to skewed income distribution rather than shortages caused by international trade.
• Between 1998 and 2007, Brazil significantly increased its global market share in several key exports. By 2007, Brazil held a 31.90% market share in soybeans and a 29.95% market share in refined sugar.
• The Guaranteed Price Policy is the primary agricultural tool used to ensure food security for small and medium-sized farmers by ensuring purchase prices cover production costs and provide reasonable profits, thereby reducing price volatility.
• The Brazilian government implemented several large-scale social programs to combat hunger, including the 'Zero Hunger Program' (Programa Fome Zero) launched in January 2003, which aimed to provide food access to 11.4 million families within five years.
• Fertilizer costs were a primary driver of food price increases between 2006 and 2008. Brazil is highly dependent on imports for these inputs; the proportion of raw materials imported for domestic fertilizer production was 73% in 2007 and was forecast to reach 80% by 2010.
• There is a direct correlation between oil prices and fertilizer costs because oil is a raw material used to produce nitrogen. Consequently, rising oil prices increase the production costs of nitrogen-based fertilizers.
• Urbanization has significantly altered Brazilian food consumption patterns. Between 1970 and 1996, wheat consumption increased from 36 kg/year to 45–49 kg/year, while cassava consumption decreased from 98 kg/year to 50 kg/year.
• The expansion of sugar cane for biofuels has raised concerns about deforestation and the displacement of other food crops. To mitigate this, the government introduced the Agroecological Sugar Cane Zoning initiative in 2009 to prohibit cultivation in the Amazon forest and Pantanal.

APA

Amaral, W. A. N. D., & Peduto, A. (2010). Food Security: The Brazilian Case. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_brazil.pdf

Chicago

Amaral, Weber Antonio Neves do, and Alessandro Peduto. Food Security: The Brazilian Case. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_brazil.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Amaral |first1=Weber Antonio Neves do |last2=Peduto |first2=Alessandro |title=Food Security: The Brazilian Case |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=August 2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_brazil.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{amaral2010food, author = {Amaral, Weber Antonio Neves do and Peduto, Alessandro}, title = {{Food Security: The Brazilian Case}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2010}, month = aug, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_brazil.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }