COVID-19 and food and nutritional (in)security: action by the Brazilian Federal Government during the pandemic, with budget cuts and institutional dismantlement

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic poses one of this century’s greatest public health challenges, with impacts on the health and living conditions of populations worldwide. The literature has reported that the pandemic affects the hegemonic food system in various ways. In Brazil, the pandemic amplifies existing social, racial, and gender inequalities, further jeopardizing the Human Right to Adequate Food (HRAF) and the attainment of food and nutritional security, especially among more vulnerable groups. In this context, the article aims to analyze the first measures by the Brazilian Federal Government to mitigate the pandemic’s effects and that may have repercussions on food and nutritional security, considering the recent institutional changes in policies and programs. A narrative literature review was performed, and the information sources were the bulletins of the Center for Coordination of Operations by the Crisis Committee for Supervising and Monitoring the Impacts of COVID-19 and homepages of various government ministries, from March to May 2020. The actions were systematized according to the guidelines of the National Policy for Food and Nutritional Security. The analysis identified the creation of institutional crisis management arrangements. The proposed actions feature those involving access to income, emergency aid, and food, such as authorization for food distribution outside schools with federal funds from the National School Feeding Program. However, the setbacks and dismantlement in food and nutritional security may undermine the Federal Government’s capacity to respond to COVID-19.

摘要：新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）大流行是本世纪最严峻的公共卫生挑战之一，对全球民众的健康与生活状况造成了广泛影响。已有研究证实，此次大流行以多重路径冲击了主导性粮食系统。在巴西，疫情进一步放大了既存的社会、种族与性别不平等问题，进一步危及充足食物权（Human Right to Adequate Food, HRAF）的保障与粮食及营养安全的实现，对弱势群体的影响尤为突出。在此背景下，本文旨在分析巴西联邦政府为缓解疫情影响、且可能对粮食与营养安全产生连锁效应的首批应对措施，同时纳入政策与项目领域近期的体制性变革因素。本研究采用叙述性文献综述法，信息来源为2020年3月至5月期间，新冠疫情影响监督与监测危机委员会行动协调中心发布的公告，以及各联邦政府部门的官方网站。研究依据《国家粮食与营养安全政策》的指导框架对相关应对措施进行了系统化梳理。分析结果显示，巴西已建立起体制性的疫情危机管理机制。本次提出的应对措施涵盖收入保障、紧急援助与食品供给相关领域，例如允许依托国家学校供餐计划（National School Feeding Program）的联邦拨款，在校园外开展食品分发工作。然而，粮食与营养安全领域存在的政策倒退与体系拆解风险，可能削弱联邦政府应对新冠疫情的实际能力。