10 years anniversary of the Brazil-FAO Partnership on South-South Cooperation

In 2018, Brazil and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) celebrate the tenth anniversary of their partnership on South-South Cooperation (SSC). Over this decade, the partners are proud of the nearly 30 initiatives developed and of the effective results achieved in Latin American, Caribbean and African countries. Brazil and FAO invested over US$ 60 million in 25 countries to promote sustainable agriculture and rural development, as well as food and nutrition security.

To celebrate this fruitful partnership, a side-event entitled "Brazil-FAO Trilateral South-South Cooperation on Food and Nutrition Security” was jointly organized by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) and FAO during the UN Committee of Food Security (CFS) week in FAO-HQ, Rome. During the event, several actors presented lessons learned, results achieved, challenges faced and discussed the way forward.  

According to FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva, the cooperation with Brazil propelled FAO to build new dynamics regarding the promotion of international cooperation initiatives. This was possible since projects have been implemented according to the SSC principles "A cooperation amongst equals", stated FAO’s DG.

Representatives of the Brazilian ministries attending the event reported results of projects they were directly engaged with and, in some cases provided financial contributions. For example, Brazil and FAO have implemented projects with the financial support of the Brazilian Ministry of Social Development (MDS), the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA), the Department of Family Agriculture and Rural Development (SEAD) and the National Fund for the Development of Education (FNDE). Brazilian civil society attended the event, represented by the National Food and Nutrition Security Council (CONSEA).

According to Jefferson Coriteac, SEAD's Special Secretary, the projects developed with ABC and FAO in Latin America and the Caribbean have strengthened discussion fora contributing to the development of public policies linked to family farming. He highlighted, in particular, the consolidation of the rural women's agenda in the region and the lessons learned by SEAD due to its institutional participation in technical cooperation initiatives.

Silvio Pinheiro, president of FNDE, recalled the Fund's financial contribution of US$ 9 million to projects developed with ABC and FAO: "For us, cooperation is an investment. We invest in the quality of life and in the fight against the hunger of peoples who are and were so important in our history ".

Representatives from Colombia, one of the partner countries of the Brazil-FAO SSC programme, also attended the event in Rome, sharing results of the partnership through the host country’s perspective. According to Pedro Guzman, from Colombia's National Family Farming Network (RENAF), the Brazil-FAO SSC initiatives have strengthened Colombian public policies that contribute to the maintenance of peace agreements in his country. "The spaces of dialogue between peasants and governments, encouraged in the cooperation initiatives between Brazil and Colombia, reinforce the bonds of solidarity which are crucial nowadays", he concluded.

Brazil and FAO are now working on a new strategic plan that will guide the next decade of their partnership on SSC. As stated by the Director of ABC, Ambassador Ruy Pereira: "We want to establish a broad Program for the next years, and the joint reflection undertaken today will help us in this direction". The new plan will contribute to addressing the emerging challenges to Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) in the region, especially those related to the rising rates of obesity and the negative impacts of climate change on livelihoods.

About the Brazil-FAO partnership on SSC

In the last two decades, Brazil achieved significant results in the fight against hunger and rural poverty due to a comprehensive set of public policies on FNS based on the Human Right to Adequate Food. The country became a reference in FNS, drawing great interest from the international community, especially in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. In 2008, Brazil and FAO established a South-South Cooperation Programme, which began its activities in Latin America and the Caribbean region. This successful partnership involved, so far, the Brazilian government (through ABC and over 15 Brazilian ministries), FAO’s regional and national offices, and partner countries.

The Program aims at building institutional capacities of governments to develop, implement and monitor effective and inclusive policies to end hunger and malnutrition. Another objective consists of strengthening permanent and multi-stakeholder discussion fora on FNS. Ongoing projects mainly tackle school feeding with local purchases from family farmers, and strengthening family farming and governance in terms of FNS.

To know more: Watch the whole event here.

See here ABC’s website with a new publication on the Brazil-FAO partnership on SSC