The Comida do Amanhã Institute, in partnership with Regenera Institute and Fome Zero Institute (IFZ), launches the PNAE Agroecológico project, with institutional support from the Center of Excellence against Hunger of the World Food Program and support from the Rockefeller Foundation. The initiative aims to promote the transition of agroecological production from family farming in Brazil through the National School Meals Program (PNAE), seeking to understand and strengthen possibilities of incentives and institutional arrangements, in order to expand the supply of healthy food in school meals, and create a model to influence public policies and regulations at the national level.

According to Juliana Tângari, director of Comida do Amanhã, the Brazilian School Meals Program is extremely robust, with 15 years of implementation in its most advanced version, a model for countries around the world and for the United Nations. However, it can still progress further in Brazil, particularly by generating more stimuli for the conversion of the food production model, so that more family farmers receive the right incentives to migrate to green practices, combating the challenge of agri-food monotony. “In Comida do Amanhã, we work both to advance and improve policies for access to healthy food in municipalities – such as the school meals policy – and to develop policies and actions that promote the diversification of food production and the resilience of food supply in cities. The PNAE Agroecológico is our newest program, and it consolidates our commitment to advancing food policies based on cities”, she affirmed.

Focusing on converting the production model and thereby expanding local production and supply of agroecological foods close to consumers, the project will operate on two simultaneous fronts. The first will develop pilot projects in up to four Brazilian cities, which will be selected based on previously defined criteria. Detailed studies on food systems, modes of production and contexts of public procurement will be carried out in the selected cities. Based on the diagnoses, proposals will be prepared later this year, along with these locations’ public authorities and civil society, to facilitate the procurement of agroecological products for school meals, identifying challenges and opportunities, which will be implemented over the next three years.

The second front of the project will conduct a survey of the program’s national regulation to analyze how PNAE can stimulate and consolidate the agroecological transition in Brazil. This line of action will continue the report “Best practices for linking school meals to family farming and sustainable agriculture production in Brazil”, developed by Comida do Amanhã and Regenera Institute throughout 2024, and will include listening to entities, organizations, and collectives that are also engaged in monitoring and examining the necessary advances of PNAE.

“Well-structured school meals programs such as this one are a powerful tool to promote the comprehensive development of children and adolescents. In this scenario, we believe that family farming can be a strategic ally in this process, providing fresh, healthy and quality food for schools. This partnership strengthens local food culture and promotes food sovereignty, contributing to a fairer and more sustainable food system. This is an incredible opportunity for municipalities that want to take a step towards a balanced and healthy diet for their children, as well as for the local economy”, believes José Graziano da Silva, founder of the Fome Zero Institute.

Among the main results expected for the first stage of the project is to set the necessary conditions to accelerate the agroecological transition in the pilot cities, through the creation of a prototype that will provide local incentives, such as funding, technical support, public administration commitments, network support and institutional arrangements. In addition, it is expected that the work with the selected cities will be monitored over time, with data demonstrating the increase in the number of agroecological producers, greater production and payment of fair prices.

On the second front of the project, the goal is to identify regulatory challenges and prepare recommendations to improve the PNAE regulation, facilitating its orientation toward the agroecological transition.

One of the main challenges for the growth of agroecology is to ensure that farmers find a qualified market in the cities, and that access to food is democratic, states Maurício Alcântara, director of the Regenera Institute. “PNAE is probably the most appropriate public policy to leverage this production, as it guarantees continuous, diverse and quantity purchases, and reaches all students in public schools. In addition, its regulation promotes and recommends these foods – the biggest challenge is to make this prioritization viable.”

The project is expected to last at least 4 years. Throughout 2025, it intends to select the four Brazilian cities and, with them, develop the designs of pilot projects, besides publishing a policy paper (study on policies) with proposals and recommendations for PNAE’s regulatory update in order to promote agroecology in the country.