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）在抗击饥饿与粮食不安全（food insecurity，FI）领域的贡献，并提出一系列策略，以保障学生在新冠疫情（COVID-19）期间持续获得膳食供给。研究针对巴西的粮食不安全与饥饿现状开展诊断，结合国家学校供餐计划的历史演进与当前处境，剖析粮食与营养安全政策的弱化态势；基于上述分析制定系列提案，并评估其对该计划预算的影响。针对学校停课阶段，本文提出以下策略：为学生分发膳食，在条件允许的情况下维持该政策的全民覆盖属性，或惠及因新冠疫情符合申领紧急救助金（Emergency Aid）条件的家庭学生；扩大国家学校供餐计划向人类发展指数（Human Development Index，HDI）偏低及极低等级的市政单位拨付的资金额度；维持并鼓励采购家庭农场生产的农产品。针对学校复课后的场景，本文建议采取以下策略：开展学生粮食不安全状况调研；通过向人类发展指数偏低及极低等级的市政单位扩大资金拨付，维持政策的公平性；保障假期期间粮食不安全家庭的学生获得膳食支持。