Santa Catarina is the state with the greatest food security and lowest income inequality in Brazil

Photo: Ricardo Trida / SECOM

Santa Catarina stands out nationally as the state with the greatest food security in the country. The information is from the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (Pand) in the Food Security module, released this Thursday, 25th, by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

In 2023, 88.9% of households in Santa Catarina had a secure food condition, that is, they had permanent access to adequate food, both in quantity and quality. This result places SC in first place on the list of Federation Units with the best food conditions in the country. The state is above the national average, of 72.4%, above Paraná (82.1%) and Rio Grande do Sul (81.3%), second and third placed, respectively.

Santa Catarina’s leadership in food security is a result of the sum of several factors, with state public policies occupying a prominent place. Santa Catarina also has the lowest level of income inequality and the fourth highest level of national average income. In 2023, the average income of workers in Santa Catarina reached R$3,316 and grew by 9.5%, above inflation. Increasing income levels is essential for workers and families in Santa Catarina to have access to quality food, without compromising other aspects such as health, housing and transport.

The Secretary of State for Planning (Seplan), Edgard Usuy, explains that the values ​​achieved by Santa Catarina represent the impact on the quality of life and well-being of families in Santa Catarina. Reducing income inequality and increasing income directly influences the lives of Santa Catarina residents and the economy as a whole, improving the business environment and inclusive growth.

In addition to the demand side, another important factor that explains the best level of food security is the condition of food supply. In this regard, SC is an example of a productive and sustainable agricultural sector. According to the Center for Socioeconomics and Agricultural Planning (Epagri/Cepa), the state has characteristics that enhance food production, such as a diversified production matrix and the predominance of family-based agriculture, which reduces production costs.

In this sense, products such as rice, beans, chicken and pork, eggs, milk, apples, bananas, legumes and vegetables stand out, in which SC occupies a relevant position in the national ranking. The higher level of income and proximity to food supply makes food cheaper and therefore more accessible to the population, even those with lower incomes.

About Pnad

The research shows that in the fourth quarter of 2023, Brazil had 72.4% (or 56.7 million) of its households in a food security situation, according to the research. This proportion grew 9.1% compared to the last IBGE survey that investigated this topic: Family Budget Survey (POF) 2017-2018, which showed 63.3% of the country’s households in a food security situation.

In 2023 the opposite happened, that is, there was an increase in the proportion of food secure households, as well as a decrease in the proportion of all degrees of food insecurity.

The research used the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (EBIA) as a methodological reference, which allows the identification and classification of households according to the level of food security of their residents. Thus, food security is full and regular access to quality food, in sufficient quantity, without compromising access to other essential needs.

Lower income inequality

Recently, IBGE launched the PNADC Income from All Sources module. In 2023, the state presented the lowest level of household income inequality in the entire country, around 20% lower than the national average, registering 0.418 in the Gini Index. The instrument is internationally recognized for measuring income concentration in a given population and varies from 0 to 1, the closer to 0, the lower the inequality in a region.

This demonstrates how aspects of economic distribution in the territory of Santa Catarina and productive diversity enable a better level of income and level of education, consequently leading to better working conditions and income, when compared to other UFs.

Lower number of households receiving Bolsa Família

The survey also showed that only 4.5% of households in Santa Catarina receive Bolsa Família. These data from Santa Catarina represent the lowest proportion among all Brazilian states, with a rate below those presented by Rio Grande do Sul (8.6%) and Paraná (9.2%). The PNADC also reports that the income usually received by people from Santa Catarina totaled more than R$13 billion in 2023, representing a 15% growth compared to the previous year.