Roraima had 66 thousand households in a situation of food insecurity in 2023, points out IBGE | Roraima

In 2023, residents of 66 thousand homes from Roraima lived in food insecurity situation at some level, according to data from PNAD Contínua Food Security released this Thursday (25).

The number represents 36.2% of the 181 thousand permanent private homes in the state. The study, carried out by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), indicates that of Roraima households:

• 39 thousand (21.7%) have mild food insecurity;
• 14 thousand (7.8%) has moderate food insecurity;
• 12 thousand (6.6%) have severe food insecurity.

This means that in the last quarter of 2023, residents of these households did not know whether they would have enough food or suitable on the table.

Food security is classified as full and regular access to quality food, in sufficient quantity, without compromising access to other essential needs (understand below).

Despite the significant number, the survey indicates a drop in food insecurity compared to the last IBGE study on the topic, carried out in 2009. The proportion of households with mild, moderate and severe insecurity fell by 7.2, 3.4 and 0.9 percentage points, respectively.

In the fourth quarter of 2023, 116 thousand residences (63.8%) distributed throughout the state were in food security situationthat is, they had permanent access to adequate food.

According to IBGE, this proportion grew 11.4 percentage points compared to that recorded in 2009, when 52.4% of households in Roraima were in a food security situation.

Carried out through a partnership between IBGE and the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Combating Hunger, the research had as its methodological reference the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale (EBIA), which allows the identification and classification of households according to with the level of food security of its residents.

In the analysis of the regions of Brazil, the North and Northeast presented the proportions of households with moderate or severe food insecurity well above other regions in 2023:

• 16% in the North;
• 14.8% in the Northeast;
• 7.9% in the Midwest;
• 6.7% in the Southeast;
• 4.7% in the South.

The reverse also occurs. The two regions recorded the lowest proportions when we talk about food safety: O Northeast with 61.2% and the North with 60.3%. These values ​​correspond, in number of households, to 3.6 million in the North and 12.7 million in the Northeast.

The South region has the highest share of households in food security: around 9.7 million households in this situation, which corresponds to 83.4%. The Central-West region had a percentage of 75.7% and the Southeast, 77%.

Pará led the ranking of states with restricted access to adequate food, followed by Amapá, Sergipe and Maranhão. On the other side of the pyramid, Santa Catarina, Paraná, Rondônia and Espírito Santo are among the places with full and regular access to adequate food.

Percentage of moderate or severe food insecurity

Source: IBGE

The IBGE, responsible for the survey, classifies food insecurity into three levels:

1. Mild food insecurity: lack of quality in food and a certain concern or uncertainty regarding access to food in the future.
2. Moderate food insecurity: lack of quality and a reduction in the quantity of food among adults.
3. Severe food insecurity: lack of quality and reduction in the quantity of food also among children. In this situation, hunger becomes an experience lived at home.