Food redistribution models during COVID-19 and social protection mechanisms aimed at reducing hunger and food insecurity

• Grant number: 22/05555-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: June 01, 2022
• End date: September 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Administration - Business Administration
• Principal Investigator: Luciana Marques Vieira
• Grantee: Camila Colombo de Moraes
• Host Institution: Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (EAESP). Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/07342-0 - Models of food re-distribution during the COVID-19 and social protection mechanisms to reduce hunger and food insecurity, AP.R

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened growing global warnings of hunger and food insecurity. The negative impacts are expected to be long-term, since, in addition to health issues, there was an increase in unemployment rates and loss of income of individuals, in addition to the increase in food prices. In this context, attention to solutions aimed at redistributing food to vulnerable populations becomes increasingly relevant. In Brazil, this function is mostly assumed by food banks. However, the role of managing a food bank presents many challenges related to the management of people, resources and the chain of donations and beneficiaries. Considering this context and the impacts of COVID-19, new initiatives are emerging to join efforts in the fight against hunger and food insecurity. Empirically, it is possible to perceive the functioning of three different models of food redistribution in the city of São Paulo during COVID-19: public sector (administered by the municipal government), the private sector and the third sector (NGOs). Knowing the operational, management and impact mechanisms, as well as understanding the factors that hinder or drivefood redistribution initiatives in large urban centers will help make social protection accessible to all people who need it. It is possible to generate mutual learning and overcome challenges by understanding the best practices between the different models. Theoretically, organizational and human assets are associated with the notion of intellectual capital, which is divided into human, organizational and relational capital dimensions. Knowledge of these mechanisms is essential for the development of public policies that support the fair redistribution of food. In this way, the general objective of this research project is to understand which mechanisms related to the intellectual capital of the different food redistribution models identified during COVID-19 in São Paulo act as barriers and facilitators of performance, in order to generate mutual learning and policies public policies to make social protection accessible to all those who need it. The case study was the chosen research method. Each of these redistribution models will be mapped through direct participant observation and in-depth interviews with those involved in the operation, in addition to the analysis of secondary documents. In this context, it is expected that this work will contribute to a broader and more integrated view of the performance of redistribution systems and that these systems will continue to operate in overcoming social inequities, at least in relation to the fulfillment of the fundamental human right of access to adequate food, reflecting the post-COVID-19 Brazilian experience. (AU)