"FOOD AND (IN)SECURITY: a comparative analysis between Brazil and Mexico"

• Grant number: 24/08949-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: February 28, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Geography - Regional Geography
• Principal Investigator: Rosangela Aparecida de Medeiros Hespanhol
• Grantee: Jean da Silva Cruz
• Supervisor: Hector Avila Sanchez
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Presidente Prudente. Presidente Prudente , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelos (UNAM), Mexico
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/04730-2 - PANDEMIC, HUNGER AND FOOD (IN)SECURITY IN BRAZIL, BP.PD

Abstract

The issue of hunger and food insecurity, in a global context, points to alarming numbers, indicating that between 702 and 828 million people faced hunger in 2021, with predictions of 670 million people still suffering from hunger in 2030. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the situation is especially concerning, with a significant increase in the prevalence of hunger, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present proposal, therefore, revolves around the following issue: what are the main structural and conjunctural factors of hunger and food insecurity in Mexico and Brazil, and what are the main actions or strategies of food policies and/or food supply through urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) being taken in Mexico City and São Paulo? In this direction, we hypothesize that historical-political and socio-spatial analysis shows that these problems are rooted in processes of dehumanized colonialism and policies aimed at food exports, neglecting internal food security. Thus, both Mexico and Brazil face structural and conjunctural challenges (poverty, extreme poverty, and inequalities), resulting in increased food insecurity, especially in large cities. The situation in Brazil and Mexico during recent governments (combined with health, economic, political, and environmental crises) under rounds of fiscal adjustment policies and losses in social programs have contributed to increased poverty and food insecurity. To analyze and understand these structural and conjunctural processes, we will seek to compare the situation of food security/(in)security in Mexico and Brazil, taking São Paulo (BR) and Mexico City (MX) as analytical reference points from the perspective of different actions and/or strategies of food supply through urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA).