A new report from the United Nations marks a major accomplishment for Brazil – For the first time, Latin America’s largest country has been removed from the World Hunger Map.  The number of undernourished Brazilians has fallen by 82 percent after more than ten-years of Leftist governments.

“Leaving the Hunger Map is a historic milestone for Brazil. We are very proud because overcoming hunger was a priority for the Brazilian state,” said Brazilian Social Development Minister Tereza Campello, who says this was achieved through a “mix of public policies that have ensured more income for the poorest Brazilians, an increased food supply and a consolidation of Brazil's social safety net.”

Under President Dilma Rousseff and her predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil has made major investments in family farming; minimum wage increases; and the Bolsa Familia, a federal grant program that provides cash stipends to poor families who keep their children in school.

The “State of Food Insecurity in the World” report is issued by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and the World Food Program.  Brazil’s progress mirror overall global reductions in food insecurity.  The number of undernourished people fell from 840 million in 2008-2010 to 805 million in 2012-2014. 

But Africa continues to struggle.  During the same period, the number of undernourished people in Africa has increased from 217 million to 227 million.  Sluggish income growth, high poverty rates, and limited infrastructure all conspired to make sub-Saharan region home to more than a quarter of the world’s undernourished people.