Food Shortage - Brazil

Food shortage

Brazil is the fourth largest exporter of food in the world. It is also growing at a very fast rate; it sits with Russia, India, and China as a huge potential player in the global market. Despite the huge amount of growth there still remains a large portion of the population living in poverty. While solutions to solve poverty can be thought of, implementing them is the issue. Since the 70’s Brazil has become a major exporter of sugar cane for the use in bio-fuels, many farmers who could potentially be growing food for themselves or their villages are instead growing sugar cane for profit. With so much attention on growing bio-fuels it could be possible that food shortage could be attributed to it. America can help by initiating a grassroots program teaching farmers how to sustain themselves with crops while also growing sugar cane for profit.

“Over 44 million Brazilians, more than a quarter of the population, live in absolute poverty.”(FAO) Daily income for this quarter of the population is below $1.06 and many of them experience the hunger of a missed meal surviving on inadequate and nutritionally deficient diets. “One third of the population was malnourished and living in abject poverty.” (FIAN) Biofuel is a big reason why the people of Brazil aren’t fed well. “Increasing production of biofuels is 30 to 70 per cent responsible for the rapid rise in food prices.”(Suite101)

Implementing a grassroots movement is complicated but it could prove effective. Only twelve percent of the population is responsible for food production leaving the remainder uneducated in the way of growing food. If a grassroots movement occurred the poor and malnourished in Brazil could grow food to feed themselves with, passing down the knowledge to any future generations that are born. “Grassroots International and the MST collaborate to implement sustainable agriculture projects