Brasília, Brazil, November 16, 2023 - To commemorate the 14 years of work of the Brazil-FAO International Cooperation in school feeding and announce the objectives of the new cycle 2024-2027. These were the main goals of the event 'School Feeding in Latin America and the Caribbean - history and perspectives', held on November 13 and 14 at the Chamber of Deputies auditorium in Brasília.

The Brazil-FAO International Cooperation in school feeding has been jointly developed since 2009 by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ABC/MRE), the National Fund for Educational Development of the Ministry of Education (FNDE/MEC), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

At the event's opening, the president of FNDE, Fernanda Pacobahyba, stated that the experience with RAES can and should contribute to future coalitions and is an excellent model. "This is a voice that is not only ours but begins to resonate locally and regionally in countries," she said.

The acting director of ABC/MRE, Ambassador Luiza Lopes da Silva, stated that among the trilateral technical cooperation initiatives of the Agency, school feeding is one of the key topics, generating interest among countries at the national, regional, and global levels.

According to the FAO representative in Brazil, Rafael Zavala, school feeding programmes are part of each country's social policy because they ensure students' nutrition, support the construction of healthy school environments, improve education quality, and guarantee the human right to food.

Matheus Fernandes Cerqueira Barbosa, a 16-year-old student enrolled in the 2nd year of the Setor Oeste High School, in Brasilia, emphasized the importance of school feeding in students' lives and for food security and combating hunger in the country, stating that "one does not learn on an empty stomach."

The two-day event was attended by representatives from the governments of 18 countries in the region: Brazil, Belize, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Venezuela, and Uruguay, as well as professionals from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

Several panels presented lessons learned, solutions, innovations, and strategies adopted by countries in the implementation of their school feeding programmes. Each country had the opportunity to comment on the challenges faced and future prospects, as well as to share successful experiences.

Climate change

A discussion was held where two experts discussed school feeding and the challenges of climate change. Nurit Bensusan, a researcher at the University of Brasília (UnB), warned that the world is already experiencing a climate emergency, and agriculture and food security will be impacted. Manoel Timbó emphasized that better utilization of food biodiversity and traditional production methods can contribute to improving the planet's conditions.

In the panel on the cooperation agreement between Brazilian ministries, moderator Michele Lessa summarized that the technical agreement between ministries seeks to strengthen joint actions to promote adequate and healthy school feeding within the framework of the Brazilian school feeding programme. The following panel highlighted that, in addition to other government sectors, there are other entities of extreme importance for the school feeding programmes, such as universities, parliamentary fronts against hunger, national and state councils, and municipal councils, like CONSEA, non-governmental organizations, among others, in maintaining dialogue, supervision, and social control of the program.

The event also presented data on the progress of school feeding policy in the region. The coverage of students benefiting from school feeding in 2022 totaled 80 million students in the region. From 2012 to 2022, the number of countries with regulatory frameworks for school feeding increased. Currently, in addition to Brazil, six other countries have already approved their laws: Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Paraguay.

New cycle

The new cycle of cooperation for the period 2024-2027 was signed during a protocol ceremony at the Ministry of Education of Brazil, with the presence of the first lady of Brazil, Janja Lula da Silva, and the Minister of Education, Camilo Santana. The goal is to strengthen and expand the actions of the Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES).

"The Brazil-FAO Cooperation is essential for Brazil to showcase its National School Feeding Program to the world, which is universal, and to expand exchanges with other countries. I will work to internationalize our experience in promoting the human right to food and education for all," said the first lady. Minister Camilo Santana stated: "We will work on the development of national school feeding policies, with the governments of each country, so that all can achieve the consolidation of their policies."

Among the objectives of the new cycle are: (i) inclusion of RAES as part of the regional networks supporting the Global School Feeding Coalition; (ii) expanding dialogue with regional and global organizations to promote resilient and inclusive food systems; (iii) institutionalization of RAES as a strategy to reinforce national school feeding policies in LAC; (iv) developing the regional school feeding agenda to ensure the human right to adequate food at school.

A strengthened and expanded network

Cecília Malaguti do Prado, in charge of trilateral south-south cooperation with international organizations at ABC/MRE, said: "We hope that this network can address, reflect, transmit, and disclose what the needs are so that, through south-south cooperation, support can be provided to achieve these objectives." 

Najla Veloso, coordinator of the Brazil-FAO International Cooperation school feeding project, considered that RAES has supported the management of countries and brought elements that are consolidating into concepts, demands, and future perspectives, such as universalization. "RAES represents a space for accommodating the needs of managers and has strengthened decision-making based on a regional agenda that is being built in moments like this, reflecting demands and perspectives, and advancing in the construction of school feeding policies," she said. "RAES exists within the national policy of the country; it is not external or parallel, and it is a protagonist because it exists to support management."

The voice of the countries

Robert Gayoso, from the school feeding programme of Paraguay, mentioned the importance of having the support of RAES for decision-making at the national level. Yomaira Tejeda, representative of INABIE from the Dominican Republic, also commented: "Walking in a network is vital to strengthen and consolidate school feeding programmes, exchanging experiences and best practices." 

Fernando Castro, programme officer for the FAO in Peru, commented that the exchange of experiences allows countries with similar challenges and opportunities to learn together new instruments, experiences, and knowledge for management. "This synergy enhances all countries."

Representing the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Shaun Baugh emphasized the importance of building healthy eating habits in new generations through school feeding, preparing healthy meals that students enjoy consuming and thus building a new food culture.

Rosa Lezue, from the National Public Education Administration (ANEP) of Uruguay, presented the next steps in the work to strengthen the sustainability of school feeding in the country and launch public procurement processes for local agriculture, based on the Sustainable Schools methodology. "We hope to have collaboration in design and governance, and perhaps we can also contribute with our experiences."