MWE Correspondent
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has challenged the world to act urgently against hunger and poverty, describing them not as inevitable hardships, but as consequences of political inaction.
His remarks come as Brazil hosts the Second Brazil-Africa Dialogue on Food Security, bringing together officials from 42 African nations and nine international organizations. The gathering, held during Africa Week in Brazil, is also in preparation for the upcoming state visit of Angolan President João Lourenço on May 23.
In a statement that has drawn widespread attention, President Lula said:
“Mankind has no right to abandon 733 million people to hunger. In a world that produces almost six billion tonnes of food each year, this is indefensible. And when global military spending reached $2.4 trillion last year, it becomes even more unacceptable.”
Lula emphasized that the root causes of world hunger are not natural disasters or supply shortages, but decisions—often made by those in power—that continue to exclude entire populations. His government is now actively engaging African leaders in crafting solutions built on knowledge exchange, innovation, and agricultural cooperation.
Brazil’s journey from a food-importing country to one of the world’s leading agricultural producers serves as a backdrop to the discussions. Central to that success has been the work of EMBRAPA, Brazil’s state-owned agricultural research agency, which has led scientific breakthroughs and helped adapt farming to arid regions.
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African delegates, including several ministers of agriculture, were given a first-hand look at Brazil’s experience during visits to rural cooperatives and public programs like the National School Feeding Programme, which provides nutritious meals to more than 40 million children every day.
They also visited Brazil’s semiarid northeast, where technologies suited for dry climates have helped turn once-barren landscapes into productive farmland. These methods—water capture systems, drought-resistant crops, and cooperative farming—may offer promising models for similar regions in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Lula also reaffirmed Brazil’s commitment to supporting the African Union‘s target of increasing the continent’s agricultural production by 45% by 2035, saying Brazil is ready to stand as a long-term ally.
“We want a relationship based on mutual respect and shared progress,” Lula said. “We’re here not just to talk about hunger, but to build the means to end it—together.”
