Meanings and uses of hunger in Brazil’s political debate: Recurrence and presence

Abstract

Hunger is a persistent and structural issue in Brazil, occupying space intermittently on the political agenda, especially in times of political crisis. But when does it become interesting to denounce hunger? Who enunciates the problem and how? The article discusses the different discursive uses and meanings associated with hunger in Brazil’s political debate from 1986 to 2015 and sheds light for updating the debate since 2016. This is a policy analysis study that aims to back reflection on the strategies and objectives of recent public policies to fight hunger in Brazil. The study analyzed government policy documents related to hunger from 1986 to 2015, revealing different meanings of hunger that were mobilized politically at different moments in the Brazilian context. Hunger was viewed variably as nutritional deficiency, poverty, destitution, social injustice, inequality, and food insecurity. As for political uses, hunger was mobilized discursively by different actors, according to the scenario of political dispute, until it practically disappeared from the debate, only to return during a new crisis in 2016. The return to the debate also reflects the failure to deal with structural inequalities. When hunger lost space on the political agenda, food and nutritional security policy was also undermined, and many gains were lost. The article concludes that the political discourse on hunger mobilizes audiences and is important to keep the fight against hunger in the political debate so long as there are people going hungry in the country. This should be a central item on the agenda to guarantee food and nutritional security.