Discussing and thinking collectively about the implementation of public policies on urban food was the main objective of the second edition of LUPPA LAB, which took place from 1 to 3 February, at Hub Green Sampa. The event of the Comida do Amanhã Institute and ICLEI South America, hosted by the São Paulo City Hall, brought together representatives from 26 cities from the five regions of Brazil. Over three days, the participating cities were able to integrate the urban food agenda and are able to move forward with the construction of policies and programmes for sustainable, healthy and inclusive food systems, from a systemic, intersectoral and participatory perspective.
Among the activities, the cities participated in collective immersion exercises of systemic mapping, to understand challenges and potentialities of the food system in their territories. The map will serve as a basis for the preparation of municipal food security plans in a transversal, intersectoral manner, with social participation and a systemic approach.
The “Urban Public Food Policy Laboratory” (LUPPA – its acronym in Portuguese) is the largest city laboratory for food systems in Brazil. The initiative emerged as a tool to support cities to develop and improve the path to building municipal food and nutrition security policies, contributing to the quality of life of the population and with the Planet.
The LAB is the main event of the entire LUPPA journey, which completed 1 year in August 2022 and is in its second round. ICLEI South America’s Regional Coordinator for Circular Development, Elizabeth Moura, highlighted that each activity of the event was designed so that the immersive journey would achieve the best outcomes and cities could emerge from LUPPA LAB #2 with the tools and reflections needed to advance their urban food agendas locally. «Our purpose is to drive cities to transition from linear systems, that impact negatively both the environment and the health of the population, to a circular system, where we reuse, regenerate and reduce impacts promoting improved quality of life.»
By hosting the event, São Paulo, one of LUPPA’s mentor cities, could present initiatives to fight hunger, food waste and the integral use of organic waste through technical visits. São Paulo’s support to LUPPA LAB #2 occurred through the Secretariat of Economic Development and Labour and the Secretariat of International Relations.
Check out each of LUPPA LAB #2’s activity days:
Day 1
The opening session included the participation of LUPPA partners and the Executive Secretary of ICLEI South America, Rodrigo Perpétuo, who spoke about the Yanomami humanitarian crisis. According to Perpétuo, «the portrait of hunger in Brazil today is illustrated, unfortunately, in the alarming situation in which the Yanomami people live. But in each of our cities there are people living the Yanomami tragedy. We need to discover where these people are and work not to hide this sad and perverse face of our history. We need to solve the problem of hunger through effective and urgent public policies».
Throughout the day, the city officials met in thematic working groups to share both ongoing and consolidated experiences on food systems.
Day 2
Technical visits were organized to circular development and food systems initiatives developed in São Paulo. The schedule was divided into three routes:
🔹 ROUTE 1: FOOD BANK AND FIGHT AGAINST FOOD WASTE
Reference Center for Food Security and Nutrition (CRESAN), in Vila Maria
Participating fair in the Fight Against Food Waste and Loss Program
🔹 ROUTE 2: GENDER, URBAN AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION EDUCATION
Structure of the Women’s Nursery School of the GAU (Urban Agriculture Group)
Centre for Nutrition Recovery and Education (CREN)
🔹 ROUTE 3: LINE GARDENS AND COMPOST YARD
Sebastiana Vegetable Garden
Avaí Horticultural garden
São Mateus Composting yard
In the afternoon, the participating cities and mentors started the LUPPA methodological journey. Through collective immersion exercises of systemic mapping, they sought to understand the challenges, bottlenecks and potentialities of the food system in their territories. The map will serve as a basis for the formulation of the so-called anchor-project: a roadmap, to be developed by each city over the coming months, which will guide the development of a food security plan in a transversal and intersectoral manner, with social participation and a systemic approach.
Day 3
The third and last day of LUPPA LAB #2 included a panel presentation of the mentor cities: Curitiba, Osasco, Recife, Salvador and São Paulo. In addition, the LUPPA LAB participants started working on the anchor-project, aiming at the internalisation of the tool for the elaboration of their own projects.
Broad participation
LUPPA LAB was attended by several authorities and public managers, such as Patrícia Chaves Gentil, representative of the National Secretariat for Food and Nutritional Security of the Ministry of Social Development and Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger; Mayor of Anchieta, Ivan Canci; Deputy Secretary for Economic Development and Labour of the City of São Paulo, Armando Junior; Ana Cristina Wanzeler, Deputy Secretary for International Relations of the City of São Paulo; Soninha Francine, Municipal Secretary for Human Rights and Citizenship of the City of São Paulo; Secretary Paulo Ming, representative of the Representative Office of the Ministry of External Relations in São Paulo (ERESP); Coordinator of Agriculture and Food and Nutritional Security of the City of São Paulo, Lia Palm; Edirlan Rodrigues Mendes, Secretary of Rural Production of Alvarães; Edson Anilo Cardoso, Secretary of Agriculture of Barcarena; Maria Eduarda San Martin, Secretary of Environment of Pindamonhangaba; Paulo Ricardo Nicolas Imparato, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture of Pindamonhangaba and other participants.
Check the list of the 26 cities that participated in LUPPA LAB #2:
– Abaetetuba
– Alto Paraíso de Goiás
– Alvarães
– Anchieta
– Araraquara
– Barcarena
– Belém
– Bragança
– Contagem
– Curitiba
– Jundiaí
– Maracanaú
– Maricá
– Niterói
– Nova Lima
– Palmas
– Pindamonhangaba
– Porto Alegre
– Osasco
– Recife
– Rio Branco
– Salvador
– São Paulo
– Santarém
– Sobral
– Vitória do Mearim
From ICLEI South America, the following also participated: Leta Vieira, Ana Wernke, Bruce Scheidl, Jhonathan Freitas and Guilherme de Franco. From the Comida do Amanhã Institute, it was attended by Juliana Tângari, Mónica Guerra, Francine Xavier, Thaís Barreto, Tárzia Medeiros, Maria Eduarda Lemos, Stephanie Gouvêa, Laís Escher, Andrea Polistchuck and Roberta Curan.
About LUPPA
The Urban Public Food Policy Lab (LUPPA) is a collaborative platform created to facilitate the construction of integrated and participative municipal food policies with a systemic approach. The LUPPA is a project of the Comida do Amanhã Institute, in coordination with ICLEI South America, with the full support of the Ibirapitanga Institute and ICS – Clima e Sociedade Institute. It also has the special support of the European Union in Brazil, Embrapa and WWF Brazil, and the institutional support of FAO Brazil – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, ACT Health Promotion, Alimentação Consciente Brasil, Humane Society International and other partner institutions.
Click here and learn more about LUPPA.
Texto: Cibele Carneiro