Between May 19 and 23, the city of Barcarena, in the State of Pará, hosts the fourth edition of LUPPA LAB, the in-person meeting of the LUPPA program, considered the largest laboratory of food public policies in the world. Held by Comida do Amanhã in co-realization with ICLEI Brasil, LUPPA is a training program and a community of cities that holds an in-person meeting every year, the LUPPA LAB. In its fourth edition, the Lab is co-held with the Municipality of Barcarena, with support from Gás Pará and Hydro. The initiative brings together representatives from over 40 Brazilian municipalities for an immersion for building more sustainable, healthy and fair urban food systems. Having approximately 120 municipal managers confirmed, the opening will take place at Complexo Comercial de Barcarena, and the other meetings happen at Checralla Sallim Khayat School.

Unlike a traditional congress, LUPPA LAB is an in-person event held in a laboratory format, providing a practical and collaborative journey. The program includes workshops, mentoring, collaborative activities, exchange of experiences, and field visits to Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) initiatives in the municipality of Barcarena. All activities focus on strengthening municipal action for integrated and coherent food policies and for developing robust and intersectoral plans. In this edition, the laboratory also highlights the climate agenda, with the development of a joint position by the participating cities for COP30, which will be held in neighbor city Belém, capital of the State of Pará.

“LUPPA LAB follows a methodology that differs from all other events and meetings that public agents and representatives of public policy councils are used to attending. Every year, our network is strengthened, people take ownership of topics and opportunities for action that had not been envisioned before, and we gradually weave together and reinforce a large support community for different areas of municipal public administration linked to the food agenda”, says Juliana Tângari, director of Comida do Amanhã Institute and head coordinator of LUPPA.

Since its creation in 2021, LUPPA has held three LAB editions — the first, an online edition, followed by in-person meetings in São Paulo (SP) and Curitiba (PR) — and currently connects 54 cities in 18 states from the five regions of the country, in addition to the 5 mentoring cities, partners of the program.

First time in the Amazon 

This edition marks an advancement of LUPPA in the territory, by prioritizing cities with consolidated food policies that can inspire other localities. Held for the first time in the Amazon region, the meeting focuses on Barcarena, a LUPPA city since 2023, recognized for its innovative practices in the area. The choice of Barcarena reflects its prominence in initiatives such as the Municipal Food Acquisition Program (PMAA), which connects family farming to the supply of food for hospitals and for families in vulnerable situations, and the Municipal Family Farming Monitoring System (SISMMAF), which ensures technical assistance and continuous support for local production.

For the mayor of Barcarena, Renato Ogawa, receiving LUPPA LAB in the city is a recognition of the collective work developed to guarantee the right to adequate and healthy food. “Here, we treat food security as a strategic priority which connects family farming, economic development, the environment and social justice. I am sure that the exchange of experiences and the collaborative construction promoted by LUPPA will further strengthen our public policies and inspire new solutions for all of Brazil”, he comments.