Notícias
2024 OVERVIEW
2024: A Year to Fight Hunger and Reduce Poverty
Images: Roberta Aline and Lyon Santos/ MDS
If 2023 was the year to rebuild social policies, in 2024 the first results of the Federal Government's efforts to remove Brazil from the Hunger Map yet again began to appear. The most significant achievement: 24.4 million people were lifted out of severe food insecurity in one year of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's current administration.
Moreover, in 2023, poverty in Brazil fell to its lowest level since 2012. Within one year, 8.7 million people overcame poverty in the country. From 2022 to 2023, the proportion of people in extreme poverty decreased from 5.9% to 4.4%, also marking the lowest rate since 2012.
According to the Minister of Social Development and Assistance, Family, and the Fight Against Hunger (Ministério do Desenvolvimento e Assitência Social, Família e Combate à Fome/ MDS), Wellington Dias, the data reflects the Federal Government's efforts to restore and restructure public policies aimed at reducing hunger and poverty. "This progress demonstrates that Brazil is back on the right track in terms of addressing hunger," he emphasized.
"The broad range of social policies and programs under the Brazil Without Hunger Plan (Plano Brasil sem Fome), the resumption of economic growth with job and income generation, and the increase in the minimum wage are some of the factors that have brought the country back to a prominent position in the global fight against hunger. Removing Brazil from the Hunger Map yet again is a priority for President Lula," added the minister.
Achieved in record time during President Lula's third term, the results of the fight against hunger and poverty eradication and the successful experiences that removed the country from the Hunger Map in 2014 have positioned Brazil at the lead of the process to form a global alliance to overcome these challenges globally.
With the prospect of 733 million people facing hunger worldwide in 2022 and the commitments of the UN's 2030 Agenda becoming increasingly distant, the once-national goal took on a global dimension when Brazil assumed the presidency of the G20.
The work culminated in the launch of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, with 148 founding members – currently more than 160 – at the G20 Leaders Summit held in November in Rio de Janeiro.
Check the detailed overview for each of the areas covered by the Ministry:
The year marks the beginning of the Unified System (CadÚnico) reform
Federal Government transfers BRL 168.3 billion through Bolsa Família in 2024
Acredita no Primeiro Passo Program exceeds BRL 500 million in microcredit with over 56 thousand operations
Expanded access to healthy food takes center stage in 2024
National Social Assistance System (SNAS) strengthens the protection of vulnerable individuals in a year marked by emergency actions
2024 marked by approval of the National Care Policy
The year the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty was launched
Brazil Without Hunger
The fight against hunger is multidimensional. This is why the Brazil Without Hunger Plan (Plano Brasil Sem Fome) is the result of a joint effort by the 24 ministries that make up the Interministerial Chamber on Food and Nutritional Security (Câmara Interministerial de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional /CAISAN). The Plan includes 80 actions and programs and over 100 goals.
Measures to strengthen the National Food and Nutrition Security System (Sistema Nacional de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional /SISAN) and the Plan itself contributed to the historic results achieved by the country in the fight against hunger and poverty. A total of 1,403 municipalities have currently adhered to SISAN, representing an increase of over 120%. These cities are home to more than 50% of the Brazilian population, reinforcing the commitment of local governments to hunger eradication.
Another achievement under the Brazil Without Hunger Plan was the establishment of the Brazil Without Hunger Protocol to identify, through the Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde/ SUS, individuals who are at risk of food insecurity, ensuring integrated care through the programs and services of the SUS itself, as well as the SISAN and the National Social Assistance System (Sistema Único de Assistência Social/ SUAS).
Signed by President Lula on Monday (December 23), the National Caregiving Policy was also incorporated into the Brazil Without Hunger Plan, marking a regulatory milestone that ensures the right to care in Brazilian legislation. The MDS is now working on the National Caregiving Plan to address a reality shaped by social, racial, and gender inequalities.
Solid Foundation
To achieve the results obtained in 2024, the Unified Registry (Cadastro Único) had to be rebuilt. This registry, which serves as a map allowing managers to better understand the reality of the low-income population in the country, is also the main tool for selecting and including people in social programs.
Therefore, ensuring that the Unified Registry accurately reflects the reality of the population and provides quality information is crucial to guarantee that benefits reach those who need them the most. More than 40.4 million families currently are registered, 28.1 million of which receive a monthly income of up to half the minimum wage per capita (low income).
In 2024, the work of the MDS was marked by the modernization of the Unified Registry and the beginning of the renovation process of its technological infrastructure, initiated this month. In January, the pilot phase will be carried out, followed by training sessions that will eventually reach all system operators. In March 2025, the transition to a new system will be completed.
Income
The Bolsa Família Program continued to demonstrate its importance to the country’s efforts to eradicate hunger and poverty. More than 20.86 million families from all Brazilian municipalities received support from the program over the last 12 months. The MDS transferred over BRL 168.3 billion through the Bolsa Família in 2024 (BRL 14.02 billion monthly).
Furthermore, approximately 2.7 million families who receive the Bolsa Família benefits entered the protection rule in December 2024, as their income increased and they began the process of building financial autonomy. The rule strengthened the inclusion of individuals in vulnerable situations into the productive system.
Among over 3.4 million individuals who were hired between January 2023 and September 2024, 91.49% of whom were part of the Unified Registry (around 3.1 million people) and 71.11% (approximately 2.4 million) were Bolsa Família beneficiaries.
The Acredita no Primeiro Passo (“Believe in the First Steps”) Program was also key to this achievement. A total of BRL 516.4 million in productive microcredit was made available to individuals from the Unified Registry, totaling 56,642 operations.
Throughout 2024, the MDS established over 44 partnerships with public and private entities. The agreements cover three pillars: employment; professional qualification; and support for entrepreneurship.
Food
In 2024, a set of programs and initiatives focused on the Human Right to Adequate Food gained importance.
Food Acquisition Program (Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos): The program acquired 139 thousand tons of food from 78,689 family farmers, which were donated to over 12 thousand organizations that assist individuals in situations of food and nutritional vulnerability.
In total, approximately BRL 800 million in federal resources were paid to the family farmers who supplied food, 77.9% of which are part of the Unified Registry; 62% are women; and 13% are from Indigenous and traditional communities.
Solidary Kitchen Program (Programa Cozinha Solidária): of the 2,400 solidarity kitchens mapped by the MDS, over 900 have already been authorized to function. A total of 23 managing organizations were selected to provide support for the use of funds, which will result in the provision of 14 million meals in 410 kitchens over one year.
Cisterns Program (Programa Cisternas): more than 50,000 families have been assisted with the implementation of cisterns and other technologies to ensure access to quality water. Since last year, the MDS has allocated BRL 1.17 billion for the program. From that total, BRL 540.4 million have already been disbursed.
Rural Development Program (Programa Fomento Rural): A total of BRL 117.4 million has been destined to assist families, with more than 30,000 farming families benefiting from resources and technical assistance since 2023.
Assistance
The response to the historic floods in Rio Grande do Sul, the ongoing reception of migrants and refugees, and the assistance to the Yanomami population were some of the highlights of social assistance efforts in 2024.
The consequences of the heavy rains that struck Rio Grande do Sul required an immediate response: an extraordinary credit of BRL 101 million was released for actions of the National Unified Social Assistance System (Sistema Único de Assistência Social/ SUAS) in the state. A total of BRL 35.3 million was allocated to emergency sheltering of displaced individuals in 99 municipalities, providing everything from shelter infrastructure to food and technical support for the assisted families.
Moreover, the Federal Government created the Social Assistance Unified System Protection Force (Força de Proteção do Sistema Único de Assistência Social FORSUAS/RS), sending over 180 professionals to the state and increasing the system’s response capacity in 20 municipalities. Another crucial action was the training of over 400 professionals in the Coordination and Management of Temporary Shelters, which contributed to the quality of the services provided.
To assist populations in emergency or public disaster situations, around 900,000 food packages (equivalent to nearly 20,000 tons of food) were distributed across the country in 2024. This represented an investment of over BRL 170 million in federal resources.
Finally, the National Social Assistance Fund (Fundo Nacional da Assistência Social/ FNAS) invested approximately BRL 3.4 billion in social assistance programs and services across all municipalities and Federative Units across Brazil in 2024. This amount corresponds to the federal co-financing of the SUAS.
Other Actions:
MDS’ ASPAR recorded over 700 in-person appointments in 2024
MDS Ombudsman closed 2024 with progress in transparency
Bolsa Família and Unified Registry Federal Oversight Network launches Annual Report
Source: Communications Office - MDS