Alimenta Cidades Strategy has entered a new phase of expansion and consolidation as a public policy aimed at strengthening food and nutritional security in Brazilian cities. With the publication of two new ordinances by the Federal Government, the Alimenta Cidades Strategy was officially expanded and now reaches 89 municipalities across all regions of the country. The initiative now covers all capitals and cities with over 300 thousand inhabitants. It is also covering, on an emergency basis, 18 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul affected by the 2024 floods.

Designed to address the multiple challenges on access to adequate food in urban areas, the initiative adopts a systemic and intersectoral approach. Its actions range from strengthening local production and supply chains to directly supporting public facilities, such as popular restaurants. It also works to requalify urban food circuits and confront the food deserts and swamps — territories where the right to healthy food is compromised due to fresh food scarcity and to the predominance of ultra-processed products.

In this new expansion phase, Comida do Amanhã takes on the technical coordination of implementation in the 29 new cities with populations over 300 thousand inhabitants. The Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) will be responsible for monitoring and supporting the selected municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul.

The management of activities in the new municipalities will be led by Lázaro Reis, who takes on the coordination of the Institute’s technical team at this stage. For him, the continuity and strengthening of the Strategy are the result of a collective process: “Taking on project management at this stage of expansion of the Alimenta Cidades Strategy represents a new and important challenge, made possible by the joint work carried out with the cities and the engagement of the new public policy analysts — Heloyse Tomas, Luza Driessen and Samara Agda — who build on the work initiated a year ago, led with excellence by colleagues from all regions of the country, who have been fundamental to the collective construction of the Strategy alongside the territories.”

He also highlights that the commitment to active listening and permanent dialogue will continue to be the basis of action in the territories: “In this new stage of expansion with the 29 cities, we will continue to collectively build possible paths to strengthen public policies for food and nutrition security, based on permanent dialogue and active listening to local realities.”

EXPANSION ON TWO FRONTS: LARGE CITIES AND CLIMATE EMERGENCY 

The expansion of the Strategy was formalized in two stages. Ordinance No. 1,098, published on July 16 by the Ministry of Social Development, invited 29 cities with over 300 thousand inhabitants to join the initiative, closing the national coverage of this population group. As a result, it is estimated that over 77 million people will directly benefit from food security policies tailored to the specificities of urban territories.

Subsequently, Ordinance No. 1,101, published on July 22 by the Ministry of Social Development, extended the Strategy to 18 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul, on an emergency basis. The measure recognizes the impacts of the climate crisis in the state, with floods that severely affected production, supply and access to food. The proposal is to support these municipalities in rebuilding their local food systems, promoting a fairer, more resilient and sustainable model.

“We want to support municipalities to rebuild their local food systems in a fairer, more resilient and equitable way. Food needs to be at the center of climate adaptation plans,” pointed out Gisele Bortolini, general coordinator for the Promotion of Adequate and Healthy Food at the Ministry. She adds: “It’s not just about rebuilding what has been destroyed, but about transforming the urban supply model to protect the most vulnerable populations.”

FOOD SECURITY AS AN AXIS OF URBAN PUBLIC POLICIES 

With participatory diagnoses and continuous technical support, the Alimenta Cidades Strategy seeks to promote evidence-based urban public policies connected to the reality of each municipality. In the urban peripheries, where food deserts and swamps are more prevalent, coordinated action between governments, civil society and partner institutions is even more urgent and necessary.

By stimulating cooperation between cities, promoting the exchange of good practices and strengthening the coordination with national policies already in progress — such as the Cozinha Solidária Program, the National Food Supply Policy, the Climate Plan and urban and periurban agriculture actions — the Alimenta Cidades Strategy reaffirms the role of local administrations as protagonists of transformation. Beyond a public policy, the Strategy serves as an instrument for building future food systems — fair, sustainable, healthy and guaranteed as a right for all.

THE ROLE OF COMIDA DO AMANHÃ INSTITUTE

Comida do Amanhã Institute, as one of the implementing partners of the Alimenta Cidades Strategy, has played a strategic role in this process. The organization contributes with technical analysis, knowledge production, articulation with local governments and formulation of guidelines aimed at food and nutritional security in the participating cities. Its performance reinforces the importance of a systemic look at urban food, considering not only the food supply, but also the social, environmental, economic and cultural factors that condition access to quality food.

Alongside the Ministry of Social Development and municipal administrations, the Institute will continue to contribute to the construction of integrated public policies, rooted in local realities and guided by principles of social justice, sustainability, and equity.