The Battle for Food Security in Latin America

Alexandra Black | Latin America Fellow

Family tending potato fields in Northeast Brazil. Image sourced from the World Bank via Flickr.

Latin America is one of the world’s largest food producers, yet millions across the region continue to face hunger, malnutrition, and rising obesity. In Brazil, one of the region’s agricultural powerhouses, this paradox is especially stark. Since the re-election of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, or Lula, renewed political attention has returned to the issue. 

More than any other leader in Latin America, Lula recognises the intersection of food insecurity with structural poverty and globalisation. His framework includes embracing the concept of food sovereignty—the idea that people should control the production of their own food. This has seen his government strengthen its alliance with Brazil’s Landless Workers Movement (MST), a prominent yet controversial movement of rural land workers dedicated to the redistribution of land in Brazil.  

This relationship offers hope for lasting change for the state and the region. But the political dominance of agribusiness is no easy task. If Lula is serious about food sovereignty, his government must protect and legitimise these movements—not just out of principle, but because their involvement is essential to his goals. 

Agribusiness and resistance in Brazil 

Since the 1980s, Brazil and Latin America more widely have followed a neoliberal model that emphasises private production and global trade of food products. Brazil’s agricultural sector contributes 22 per cent to Brazil's GDP, yet this success has come at significant social and ecological costs. Land distribution in Brazil is incredibly unequal, with rural and Indigenous populations facing forced displacement and violence as the agrarian frontier expands. Not only do these practices violate human rights, but they also leave small-scale producers without the resources to compete in formal markets or grow their own food. Brazilians consequently experience deepening economic marginalisation and an inability to afford nutritious food.   

The displacement of rural communities has fuelled social movements across Latin America, with one of the most significant being Brazil’s Landless Workers’ Movement (MST). What started as a small group of displaced farmers has, over several decades, grown into a mass movement with up to two million members. The MST uses constitutional provisions, particularly Article 186 (which requires land to serve a ‘social function’), to justify occupations of idle land. These occupations have not only gained them a controversial reputation in Brazil but frequently bring them into conflict with agribusiness actors and landowners.  

Since its inception, the MST has championed food sovereignty as an alternative to Brazil’s dominant food regime. Across Latin America, the movement has become a powerful tool for empowering excluded communities and reclaiming control over food production. It is widely recognised for its potential to advance food security and sustainability.  

Hope for food sovereignty  

MST’s most important alliance is with Lula himself. A prominent but controversial figure on the Latin American left, Lula served as president from 2003 to 2010 and returned for a third term in 2023. Food security has long been one of his political priorities. During his first term, millions were lifted out of poverty through his Fome Zero (Zero Hunger) initiative and by 2014, Brazil was removed from the UN Hunger Map. Now in his third term, after a dramatic return to office in 2022, Lula is pursuing a more permanent transformation after Brazil plunged back into food insecurity during the presidency of far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro. His government plans to redistribute land to nearly 300,000 families and provide direct support for small-scale producers and cooperatives.  

Lula has strengthened ties with the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) and voiced support during his campaign. Unlike previous right-wing governments, he has recognised their mission of strengthening food sovereignty in Brazil. Lula’s support for the MST also likely has to do with their broad political influence and popularity amongst the nation’s regional population. In turn, the MST has not hesitated to criticise the slow pace of Lula’s reform.  

The path forward  

Despite Lula and the MST sharing a common vision, the stakes are not equal. For the MST and the rural families that they represent, food sovereignty is existential. Their decades-long fight for agrarian reform has laid the groundwork for Lula’s ambitions, but the road ahead is a David-and-Goliath battle. Agribusiness continues to dominate Brazil’s congress, shaping policy through powerful lobbying. Pursuing food sovereignty also means confronting Brazil’s export-oriented economic model that is tied to the global economy.  

If Lula is serious about delivering agrarian reform, it will not happen without strong resistance. In the absence of concrete protections, the MST is more likely to absolve any backlash. The movement already faces legal persecution, smear campaigns, and violence from agribusiness-aligned forces. If Lula wishes to truly support the movement, then he must ensure that the government protects it. 

Though Brazil has one of the most powerful agribusiness sectors in the region, deep structural change may be more achievable here than elsewhere in Latin America, given the influence of the MST and, for now, the backing of a politically supportive government. If Brazil can reduce structural inequalities and improve food security by empowering its rural populations, it could become a leading example for the region. The path will not be easy, making it even more important to support and protect the grassroots activists driving change.

Alexandra Black is the Latin America Fellow for Young Australians in International Affairs. She holds a Bachelor of Public Policy from the Australian National University, with minors in Development Studies and Spanish Language. Alexandra’s interest in Latin America is driven by her Peruvian heritage and experience living and working in the region. As a fellow, she is eager to raise awareness about social, economic, and political developments in Latin America.