From food security to food sovereignty: The Fome Zero Food Acquisition Program in the Pontal do Paranapanema, Brazil

This thesis explores the role of Brazil’s Food Acquisition Program (Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos or the PAA) in facilitating food security and food sovereignty. It specifically explores how this government program sources local food from smallholder farmers on agrarian reform settlements in the Pontal do Paranapanema region of São Paulo state to feed local food vulnerable populations. This thesis explores the incentives and challenges associated with such a project for both the farmers and the government and how the program incorporates pillars of food sovereignty. This thesis will also explore the significance of a transition from a neoliberal globalized food regime towards a localized food-sovereignty regime in the region's rural communities.