COP30 comes to an end in Belém (PA) with the feeling that, although the conference is concluded, much is only just beginning. Along two intense weeks, from November 10 to 21, Comida do Amanhã participated in more than 20 events, occupied strategic spaces in the Blue and Green Zones and co-coordinated the Food Roots and Routes Pavilion, in the Blue Zone, which brought together over 60 activities and 70 hours of programming dedicated to healthy, sustainable and fair food systems, based on the experiences from the Global South.

For Mónica Guerra, co-founder of the Institute, this COP was different from all previous ones: for the first time, the debate on food systems entered the Climate Conference agenda with real strength. This happened precisely in Brazil, in a meeting marked by plurality, democracy and the leadership of the Global South.

“We have shifted the geography of this debate,” she says. “It didn’t come only from the Global North. This time, we were hosts: Brazil – and also Comida do Amanhã, within our pavilion -, welcomed diverse voices, territories, knowledge traditions, and experiences that rarely have a space in these forums.”

The expanded presence of social movements, civil society organizations, traditional peoples and communities inside and outside the Blue Zone has given new political weight to the food agenda, revealing that a fair ecological transition cannot be built without direct participation of the territories.

The Food Roots and Routes Pavilion 

Co-coordinated by Comida do Amanhã, the Food Roots and Routes Pavilion was one of the highlights of COP30. Installed in the Blue Zone, the space has become a consolidated global hub of knowledge, culture and cooperation. There were over 60 activities, including debates, round tables, documentary screenings, conversation circles and cultural presentations. The pavilion combined traditional knowledge, science and innovation, and helped to show that transforming food systems is one of the most powerful ways to tackle the climate crisis.

For Thais Barreto, director of Comida do Amanhã, the pavilion summarizes the legacy of COP30: “We have shown the strength of civil society and the power of moving forward together. Hosting this space, together with the Steering Committee, has allowed us to bring in voices that rarely reach the COP, and that makes all the difference for what lies ahead.”

What we voice out: food as a climate solution

In the week’s events, Comida do Amanhã brought essential topics for the climate agenda to the center of the discussions, including:

• Food as a climate solution, coordinating public policies, innovation and ancestral knowledge;
• Agroecology and animal welfare as keys to more sustainable systems;
• Funding, knowledge and innovation in the Global South to tackle hunger and climate;
• Climate resilience and adaptation based on territories;
• Diversity of agri-food systems as an alternative to monocultures;
• Urban public food policies and the role of cities;
• School meals and public procurement from family farming as axes for transformation;
• Rural Credit and PNAE Agroecológico as drivers for agroecological transition and socio-bioeconomy;
• Agroecological foods at the Climate Conference;

Check out the full Comida do Amanhã schedule at COP30

This stance echoed both in official and non-official spaces, marking the importance of being present outside the Blue Zone, so that more people who do not have access to official negotiation spaces can take part in the dialogue.

Throughout the two weeks of the Conference, the debate on food, climate and social justice gained density, visibility and new alliances. Brazil has established its leading role within this conversation, and Comida do Amanhã established its position as a key actor for articulating of policies, narratives and solutions that emerge from the territories.

The official negotiations still leave some open issues, especially regarding how food systems will appear in the final documents. At the same time, there is a powerful positive balance: the coordination between organizations, movements, researchers and public administrators has never been stronger: “It is beautiful to see so many people talking about this topic. There is a feeling that the legacy of COP30 is the strengthening of those who are building fairer, healthier and more sustainable food systems”, says Mónica Guerra.