Lima, Peru, August 14, 2023 - During the week of August 14th to 18th, Peru will host an international technical mission composed of managers and specialized technicians in school feeding policies from 13 Latin American nations. The international delegation will include representatives from Brazil, Colombia, Chile, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

The goal is to disseminate the Sustainable Schools methodology to the participating countries. This initiative has been developed in the region for over a decade and is already present in more than 23,000 educational centers, aiming to strengthen national school feeding programmes. It will also provide an opportunity for visiting countries to learn about successful school feeding initiatives implemented by the Peruvian government and engage in discussions about regulatory and technical advancements in local policies.

The mission's inauguration will take place at an event attended by ministers of Social Development and Inclusion (Midis), Julio Demartini; Education (Minedu), Magnet Carmen Ramírez; and Agrarian Development and Irrigation (Midagri), Nelly Paredes. Also present will be the FAO Representative in Peru, Mariana Escobar, along with officials from the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), Paola Barbieri, and the President of the Brazilian National Fund for Educational Development (FNDE), Fernanda Pacobahyba, institution that coordinates the National School Feeding Programme of Brazil.

This international mission is an initiative of the project Consolidation of School Feeding Programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean, carried out under the framework of the Brazil-FAO International Cooperation Programme. The mission is organized in partnership with the FAO Representation in Peru and the Peruvian Government. The project Consolidation of School Feeding Programmes in LAC is jointly implemented by ABC, FNDE, and FAO.

In addition to the project, the partnership between FAO and Brazil is driving the Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES), an initiative to support Latin American and Caribbean countries in the implementation and reformulation of their school feeding programmes, ensuring access to healthy food and the human right to adequate food. Peru is one of the 21 countries that comprise RAES.

Visits

During the course of this mission, the international delegation will visit the municipality of San Antonio, located in the province of Cañete, where they will engage in discussions with local producers, technicians, government authorities, and school directors. This activity will provide an understanding of the connection between locally sourced foods for the National School Feeding Programme - Qali Warma. A particular emphasis will be placed on quality assurance and food safety. In this region, four educational institutions, totaling 573 students, benefit from food purchased from two small producer organizations, with primary products being bananas and natural yogurt.

The other visit will take place in the district of Puente Piedra, at an educational institution where the food service, infrastructure, school garden, and functioning of parental and guardian social participation will be observed. The preparation of meals will also be seen.

Sustainable Schools

Created with the premise that schools are privileged spaces for community convergence and that the social and economic development of a city is linked to educational inclusion, the Sustainable Schools methodology consists of implementing a school feeding programme based on six components: i) inter-institutional and inter-sectoral coordination; ii) social and community participation; iii) adequate infrastructure for schools; iv) nutritional education with the implementation of educational school gardens; v) menus tailored to nutritional and culturally relevant needs; and vi) public procurement of food from family farming.

These components were developed in schools and municipalities selected by governments, always respecting the reality and peculiarities of each participating country. As such, these educational centers become learning laboratories for school feeding policy, with the goal of scaling up the school feeding policy at the national level.