Manaus, Brazil, 5 September 2025 – Over three days of debate and joint work, the Amazon Week: Sustainable Rural Development and Agri-food Systems brought together representatives from governments, international organizations, academia, Indigenous and peasant organizations, and civil society. The initiative, held from 2 to 4 September, was organized under the auspices of the Government of Brazil and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), within the framework of the Brazil–FAO International Cooperation Programme.

The event sought to advance sustainable development agendas in the Amazon and promote regional integration in Latin America and the Caribbean, fostering spaces for dialogue and policy building that drive inclusive rural transformation, leaving no one behind, with the technical support of FAO in partnership with the Brazilian Government.

FAO’s Chief Economist and Acting Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, Máximo Torero, stated that meetings like this provide an opportunity to move forward on a joint transformation agenda that integrates sound public policies and strategic investments aimed at adopting new models of Amazonian economy, highlighting the contributions of family farming, Indigenous peoples, and traditional communities to the sustainable development of the Amazon.

The opening session included the participation of César Aldrighi, President of Brazil’s National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA); Ruy Pereira, Director of the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ABC/MRE); Jorge Meza, FAO Representative in Brazil; Fernanda Machiavelli, Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Farming (MDA); Silvia Becerra, Director of Capacities and Income Generation of Colombia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, representing the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO); and Jessica Salazar, representing the Alliance for Food Sovereignty of the Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Ambassador Ruy Pereira, Director of ABC/MRE, noted that the commitment of the Brazil–FAO International Cooperation Programme to holding Amazon Week reflects its dedication to an integrated agenda to fight hunger and promote sustainable development. “The Amazon plays a strategic role in this effort. Each of us must personally and institutionally assume responsibility for promoting the sustainable development of the region and protecting the immense diversity of living beings that depend on it.”

César Aldrighi, INCRA President, emphasized the importance of the Amazon as a symbolic space that offers great examples of how to continue advancing an agenda of inclusion, combating inequalities, and valuing local knowledge.

According to Fernanda Machiavelli, MDA Executive Secretary, the Amazon biome offers the world more than a thousand varieties of foods cultivated in forests, capable of nourishing people.

Meanwhile, Lilian Rahal, Secretary of Food Security at the Ministry of Social Development (MDS), highlighted the significant challenges in Amazonian cities, which present some of the highest percentages of households with severe food insecurity among all Brazilian states. “And our duty as the Brazilian State is to promote the human right to food and implement adequate public policies for these families, both in urban and rural settings.”

Amazon Week also highlighted the region’s contributions to international frameworks such as the United Nations Decade of Family Farming, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and the relevance of climate agreements, especially in the run-up to COP30, to be held in Brazil in November 2025, as well as the Hand-in-Hand Initiative Investment Forum.

Dialogue, cooperation, and investment opportunities for the Amazon

Family, peasant, and Indigenous farming stood out during the event as a strategic pillar for Amazonian development, contributing to food sovereignty and security, the conservation of natural resources, and the strengthening of local economies. In Amazonian municipalities, 85.4% of farms belong to family farmers. In this regard, the XLIII Specialized Meeting on Family Farming of MERCOSUR (REAF MERCOSUR) served as the epicenter for exchanging experiences and dialogue to guide the development of differentiated policies that support the sector and highlight its contributions to mitigating the effects of climate change.

The Dialogues on Responsible Land Governance in the Amazon stressed the need to move forward on an agenda of inclusive rural transformation and address climate change challenges by strengthening land access policies and responsible tenure governance, reducing inequalities, and empowering Amazonian Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and peasant communities.

The III Regional Technical Dialogue on Amazonian Bioeconomy and Inclusive Rural Transformation, jointly promoted by FAO, ABC, and ACTO, brought together a wide range of strategic actors to mobilize enabling investments, including Banco do Brasil, the World Resources Institute (WRI), Fundo Vale, ZTE, INCA Terra, Indigenous leaders and traditional communities, and government representatives from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. This new edition was based on two structural elements: the regional Amazon food security strategy, recently approved in the Bogotá Declaration; and the regional Amazonia Hand-in-Hand Initiative. The process resulted in the identification of concrete country-level Amazonian bioeconomy cases.

During the Living in the Amazon, Feeding the Future Forum, participants exchanged experiences and best practices on strengthening Amazonian urban agri-food systems. Through dialogue among representatives from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, a participatory mapping of the Amazon was developed, portraying it as a sociocultural region composed of cities, municipalities, and territories shaped by peoples and communities. With FAO, ABC, MDS, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, and Comida do Amanhã, a joint Roadmap for the Sustainability of Amazonian Food Systems was drafted, encompassing actions in six key areas: markets, trade circuits, and social supply; public procurement, food, and Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) equipment; the food–climate nexus; circular economy, food loss and waste management; financing and investment; and food system governance.

South–South Cooperation between Brazil and FAO

Amazon Week also served to reaffirm the nearly 20-year partnership between the Government of Brazil and FAO. Through South–South Cooperation, innovative initiatives have been developed based on Brazil’s experience with public policies on food security and nutrition, consolidating Brazil as a strategic partner in the fight against hunger and the promotion of rural development in the Global South.

The initiative was jointly organized by FAO, the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ABC/MRE), the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Farming (MDA), the Ministry of Social Development, Family, and the Fight against Hunger (MDS), the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA), and the Specialized Meeting on Family Farming of MERCOSUR (REAF MERCOSUR).