National school feeding program: strategies to overcome food insecurities during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract This article aims to analyze the contribution of the National School Feeding Program (PNAE), in the fight against hunger and food insecurity (FI) and to propose a set of strategies to guarantee that students will continue to receive food during the COVID-19 pandemic. Diagnosis of FI and hunger in Brazil was carried out, analyzing the weakening of Food and Nutritional Security Policies, considering the historical evolution of PNAE and its current situation, and from this analysis, a set of proposals were drawn up, assessing their impacts on the PNAE’s budget. We present the following strategies for the period of school closures: distribution of meals for students, maintaining, if possible, the universal character of the policy or benefiting students from families eligible to receive Emergency Aid due to COVID-19; expand the amount transferred by the PNAE to municipalities with a low and very low Human Development Index (HDI) and; maintenance and incentive to purchase food from family farming. When schools re-open, we suggest the following strategies: FI survey among students; maintenance of the equity of the policy by expanding the transfer amount to municipalities with low and very low HDI, and; attendance of students from families in FI during the vacations.

摘要 本文旨在分析国家学校供餐计划（National School Feeding Program，PNAE）在对抗饥饿与粮食不安全（food insecurity，FI）方面的实施贡献，并提出一系列策略以保障学生在新冠疫情期间仍能获得稳定的膳食供给。本研究针对巴西国内的粮食不安全与饥饿现状开展系统诊断，结合国家学校供餐计划的历史演进与当前实施处境，剖析粮食与营养安全政策的弱化态势；基于上述分析，拟定一系列政策提案，并评估各提案对国家学校供餐计划预算的影响。针对学校停课阶段，本文提出以下策略：一是为学生分发膳食，在条件允许的情况下维持该政策的普惠属性，或优先惠及因新冠疫情符合紧急救助申领条件的家庭学生；二是扩大国家学校供餐计划向人类发展指数（Human Development Index，HDI）低及极低水平市级行政单位的转移支付额度；三是维持并鼓励采购家庭农场生产的农产品。学校复课后，本文建议采取以下策略：一是开展学生群体的粮食不安全状况调研；二是通过向人类发展指数低及极低水平的市级行政单位扩大转移支付额度，维持政策的公平性；三是为粮食不安全家庭的学生在假期提供膳食保障。