Najla Veloso, Coordinator of the Regional Agenda for Sustainable School Feeding in Latin America and the Caribbean – Brazil-FAO International Cooperation Program
In Latin America and the Caribbean, governments are driving a decisive movement towards eradicating hunger and combating all forms of malnutrition through joint efforts to strengthen school feeding, a policy with generational impact.
In recent months, as a milestone of cooperation, 17 countries in the region have formalized their adherence to the Network for Sustainable School Feeding (RAES). This initiative, a product of South-South cooperation, is promoted by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) and the National Fund for Education Development (FNDE), with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which serves as the executive secretariat of this initiative. By next year, the network is expected to expand further with the inclusion of more countries in the region.
RAES has thus emerged as a strong regional movement to bolster school feeding programs in its member countries. By signing the declaration, these nations commit to collectively working on a series of medium- and long-term goals: expanding student coverage; improving school infrastructure; developing specific regulatory frameworks for school feeding; promoting the procurement of products from family farming; implementing food and nutrition education actions; and increasing resources allocated to these programs.
It is crucial to remember that, according to 2023 data, 733 million people worldwide suffer from hunger, including 41 million in Latin America and the Caribbean, as highlighted in the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 report (FAO, IFAD, WHO, WFP, UNICEF, 2024). Against this backdrop, school feeding programs represent a key action to ensure food security, improve the nutrition of millions of students, and uphold the human right to adequate food.
Currently, school feeding programs in the region benefit approximately 85 million students, making them a powerful tool in the fight against hunger. These programs serve as a dual-purpose public policy: on one hand, they guarantee access to healthy food and foster dietary habits that contribute to the development of citizens who are more conscious of the impact of food on their health. On the other hand, they strengthen ties with family farming, providing fresh, appropriate, and healthy products for students while promoting local territorial development and generating income for thousands of families who supply products for these programs.
At FAO, we highly value this progress and RAES’s role in promoting dialogue and the exchange of experiences among countries to strengthen school feeding programs across the region. RAES serves as a key voice for school feeding needs in Latin America and the Caribbean in important regional and global forums, such as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the G20 Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, and the Global School Meals Coalition.
It is essential to continue working together, and as a network to achieve better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life—leaving no one behind.
