Necropolitics and the right to food in Brazil

a scenario between political power and the covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Since 2019, when a new federal government excluded hunger from its political agenda, levels of food insecurity have risen across the country. This paper aims to analyze the reality of the Human Right to Adequate Food in Brazil during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic and present the impact of political action on this issue, concluding that, at times, the emptying of public policies and negligence in facing problems of great social impact can come from the place of political control over the lives of the population. Through a historical and sociological recapitulation that covers the period of the health crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, this work will guide us through the actions of international and national entities, as well as the implementation of public policies aimed at ensuring decent food for the Brazilian population. From an anthropological perspective, and considering the results presented by the survey “National Survey on Food Insecurity in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil”, published by the Rede PENSSAN in 2021, and the study “Effects of the pandemic on food and the food security situation in Brazil”, by the Food for Justice research group at the Freie Universität Berlin, also of 2021, we will analyze the impacts of political decisions. We use the concepts of Biopower and Biopolitics to point out how crucial political action is to managing life and how negligence can also be a choice - in order to understand which mechanisms are responsible for the exercise of Necropolitics.