Bolsonaro and Lula have taken drastically different approaches when it comes to the economy of Brazil. In this article, I looked at three key aspects of Brazil: indigenous communities and Amazon deforestation, unemployment, and food insecurity.
Indigenous populations and Amazon deforestation in Brazil are central issues, as the Amazon rainforest is home to numerous vulnerable and threatened species and serves as an important resource for indigenous communities.
Unemployment and food insecurity go hand-in-hand and have been two of the major issues faced by Brazil since Bolsonaro and Lula took office
Here are some numbers:
Amazon deforestation surges under Bolsonaro’s leadership
During the administration of President Lula (2003–2011), Brazil implemented a number of policies aimed at protecting the rights of indigenous people and reserves in the Amazon region. These included the creation of new indigenous reserves, the expansion of existing reserves, and the implementation of the Forest Code, which required landowners to maintain a certain percentage of their land as forest cover.
Under President Bolsonaro (2019–present), however, these policies have been significantly weakened. The Forest Code has been relaxed, allowing for greater deforestation and land clearing, and the creation and expansion of indigenous reserves have slowed. In addition, the Bolsonaro administration has cut funding for indigenous affairs agencies and reduced the power of the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI), the government agency responsible for indigenous affairs.
This has had a negative impact on the Brazilian Amazon and its indigenous communities. Deforestation rates in the Amazon have increased significantly since Bolsonaro took office, reaching a 12-year high in 2019. Indigenous communities have also reported an increase in violence and land invasions on their reserves.
According to data from the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE), deforestation in the Amazon increased by 9.5% in 2019 compared to 2018. This represents an area of 2,204 square kilometers of forest lost in just one year. Additionally, the Brazilian Ministry of Public Security reported a 34% increase in land invasions on indigenous reserves between 2018 and 2019.
Unemployment rates rise in Brazil under Bolsonaro’s economic policies
In 2019, the highest unemployment rate was recorded in the second quarter (12.8%), while the lowest was in the fourth quarter (10.8%). In comparison, during Lula’s mandate, the highest unemployment rate was recorded in the first quarter of 2003 (12.3%) and the lowest in the second quarter of 2010 (6.1%).
According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the unemployment rate during the first year of President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019) was 11.8%, compared to an average of 8.4% during the two mandates of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003–2010)
Overall, the unemployment rate has been consistently higher during the Bolsonaro administration compared to the Lula administration. This trend has continued into 2020, with the unemployment rate reaching a record high of 14.2% in the second quarter of the year due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Food insecurity in Brazil: The impact of Bolsonaro’s policies on children and adults
According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), hunger and food insecurity levels in Brazil increased during the Bolsonaro administration compared to the previous mandates of Lula.
In 2019, the IBGE reported that 13.7% of Brazilian households were experiencing food insecurity, up from 11.8% in 2018. This increase was mainly due to the economic downturn and the rise in unemployment rates under the Bolsonaro administration.
Moreover, the percentage of Brazilian children who were experiencing hunger increased from 7.3% in 2018 to 8.3% in 2019. This was the first time in over a decade that the percentage of hungry children in Brazil had increased.
On the other hand, during Lula’s mandate, hunger and food insecurity levels in Brazil had generally declined. For example, in 2006, the percentage of households experiencing food insecurity was 14.5%, but by 2010, it had decreased to 11.3%. Additionally, the percentage of hungry children in Brazil fell from 8.7% in 2006 to 6.8% in 2010.
Overall, the data suggests that hunger and food insecurity levels in Brazil have worsened under the Bolsonaro administration compared to the previous mandate of Lula.
This data can be found in the IBGE’s “Food Insecurity and Hunger in Brazil” report, which is available on their website.
Main photo By Senado Federal - https://www.flickr.com/photos/49143546@N06/52465566411/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=125290964
