May 30, 2025, Brasília, Brazil – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Brazil’s Ministry of Social Development and Assistance, Family and the Fight Against Hunger (MDS), and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) hosted the dialogue “Cities that Feed in Latin America and the Caribbean” on May 29, as part of the 5th Global Conference of the One Planet Network on Sustainable Food Systems.

The event aimed to foster dialogue around different approaches and strategies to drive the transformation of food systems, with a special focus on promoting healthy diets in urban areas.

According to João Intini, Policy Officer at the FAO’s Regional Office, although many rural areas remain deeply underserved by public policies, most people suffering from hunger and malnutrition now live in urban areas. “From the FAO’s regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean, we are constantly working to address the challenges of food supply in cities,” he stated.

Riffat Iqbal, a project analyst at ABC, emphasized the importance of South-South cooperation between the Agency, MDS, and FAO in strengthening sustainable, resilient, and fair food systems in urban contexts.

Sharing Experiences
From Argentina, Pablo Barbieri, a representative of Cooperativa Obrera, presented the cooperative model of his organization—which has existed for over a century—to promote sustainable and inclusive food marketing in cities. With a presence in 72 locations across seven provinces and 150 branches, the cooperative serves 100,000 member-consumers daily. Barbieri highlighted the organization’s role in consumer education: “It is essential that they understand the importance of food health and quality.”

In addition to food supply, Cooperativa Obrera also carries out social initiatives, such as a program that distributes over two million meals per year, made with food that is safe for consumption but went unsold—thereby helping to reduce food loss and waste.

From Peru, José Alarcón, national coordinator for Food Systems at UNFSS+4 and representative of the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (MIDAGRI), noted that the country faces one of the highest levels of food insecurity in the region. Since 2021, Peru has prioritized food system transformation by advancing dialogue processes and strong regulatory frameworks. “Without strengthened governance, it is impossible to implement effective public policies,” he said, adding that the country is developing a new national food and nutrition security policy that will serve as the foundation for this transformation.

Representing Brazil, João Paulo Perez, Executive Secretary for Food Security and Sustainability of the city of Osasco, shared the local experience with implementing the "Alimenta Cidades" (Feeding Cities) initiative, promoted by the MDS. Osasco—a fully urbanized city of about 750,000 residents—has a municipal food security plan that coordinates goals and commitments related to school meals, urban agriculture, food banks, and strengthening human milk banks. One of the city’s future initiatives, according to Perez, is a project to plant fruit trees in urban areas as a way to reconnect the population with healthy eating and promote food education.

Ana Maria Suárez Franco, a representative of the FIAN (FoodFirst Information and Action Network) Secretariat, addressed the civil society perspective on urban food systems. In her view, the migration of rural populations to cities has expanded “rings of poverty or misery,” especially in countries of the Global South. Franco argued that marginalized communities must actively participate in local governance: “It’s not enough to have them at the table; they must be able to express the problems they face and the solutions they propose.”

Patrícia Gentil, Director of the Department for the Promotion of Adequate and Healthy Eating at MDS, stated that the urban food agenda is currently a priority for Brazil, and that South-South cooperation is strategic at both the regional and national levels. “We continue to recognize the importance of this agenda because hunger happens in cities, in peripheral territories, in established communities,” she said. Gentil also highlighted the creation of the Alimenta Cidades initiative, which brings together efforts from the federal, state, and municipal governments, and already includes 60 municipalities with over 300,000 inhabitants—home to 64 million people. The initiative is soon expected to expand to over 90 municipalities.

One Planet
The fifth edition of the global conference brought together nearly 300 experts, representatives from governments, the private sector, civil society, and academia to discuss solutions for transforming food systems.