“Advances and challenges of the School Feeding Programme of Paraguay in the framework of Food and Nutritional Security in the region” was the topic of analysis in the discussion held this Tuesday, September 20, 2022, organized by the Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC), with support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
During the meeting, the implementation of the programme was mainly analyzed with emphasis on the relevance of the strategy currently used for the selection of educational institutions to benefit from school feeding, at the country level.
It was considered important to promote, sustain, improve investment and strengthen school feeding programmes due to the impact it has not only on student nutrition, but also on training for adequate nutrition. Luis Lobo, Technical Officer of the Spain-FAO Alliance for Latin America and the Caribbean; and Israel Ríos, FAO Nutrition Officer. Representing the Ministry of Education and Sciences (MEC) was Hugo Tintel, general director of Student Welfare.
“In Latin America and the Caribbean, one of the main policies that mitigated the effects of the health crisis on food security were the school feeding laws. Putting them at the center and strengthening them is moving towards a transformative recovery,” said Luis Lobo.
Israel Ríos mentioned the importance of school feeding programmes, indicating that FAO implements a methodology in the region that seeks the integration of efforts, political dialogue, the participation of ministries and entities, the inclusion of students, families and farmers, to strengthen the nutrition of students.
The Director of Student Welfare of the MEC said that it is important that we all understand what the school feeding law means and what it achieves, which is installed as a State policy that allows strengthening not only food security, but also the learning of students in topics related to food and nutrition.
The discussion was held within the framework of a training and debate program that FAO promotes through the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), which aims to build knowledge on social protection, productive inclusion, and food security.
The activity was developed as part of the series of activities to celebrate the World Food Day, which is remembered on October 16, the day on which the founding of FAO is also commemorated.
With the motto “Leave no one behind. Better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for all”, the campaign calls for solidarity and global action to transform agri-food systems with a view to increasing resilience, build better for the future and achieve sustainable development.
Content published by FAO Paraguay
