The event had 60 participants and it was carried at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Brazil
Paulo Beraldo
Brasilia, Brazil, May 15, 2024 – Representatives from the Government of Brazil, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) met on May 14th at an event to exchange experiences related to agrifood systems.
The event was held at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Brasília, with about 60 participants, and occurred parallel to a G20 meeting in the federal capital. The dialogue was jointly promoted by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Brazil, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, and the FAO Representation in Brazil, with support from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa).
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Brazil, André Driessen, stated that discussing agrifood systems is key in collaboration with Brazil, as both are agricultural powerhouses and have many experiences to share. “Talking about agrifood systems is talking about what we eat, how we produce food, and what the socioeconomic effects of this production are,” he said. “We have challenges in very different fields, and therefore, the development and exchange of more knowledge are essential.”
Laura Delamonica, Deputy Chief of the General Coordination of Food and Nutritional Security of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, stated that combating hunger and poverty is crucial for Brazil’s international action and the country’s return to prominence on the international stage. In this sense, she emphasized Brazil’s agenda during its G20 presidency, such as fighting hunger and poverty, defending sustainable development, and reforming international governance.
Fernanda Machiaveli, Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture, stressed the importance of promoting the strengthening of family farming, exemplifying two programs that promote public purchases: the Food Acquisition Program and the National School Feeding Program. She also said that it is essential to maintain the country’s biodiversity, diversify production, and strengthen policies that foster sustainable agriculture and transform productive systems.
Bruno Silva, International Advisor of the General Coordination of the National School Feeding Program, executed by the National Fund for Educational Development (FNDE), explained about the law approved in 2009 that guarantees at least 30% of products purchased from family farming.
Moreover, he mentioned that the Brazilian Government promotes, with FAO’s support, the Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES), which brings together 26 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean to dialogue, exchange experiences, and promote knowledge about school feeding at the regional level.
Valéria Burity, Extraordinary Secretary for Combating Poverty and Hunger of the Ministry of Social Development, Family and Fight Against Hunger, warned about the importance of the social and economic sustainability of food systems in a time of multiple simultaneous crises: various forms of malnutrition, economic and climate crises, and conflicts. “We need to ensure agrifood systems that promote adequate food without so many negative externalities for the environment.”
She mentioned the ‘Brazil without Hunger’ plan, a set of public policies to reduce hunger with attention to climate change, reducing inequalities, and ensuring access to “real food.” She also mentioned the Interministerial Chamber of Food and Nutritional Security (Caisan), which integrates the National System of Food and Nutritional Security and promotes the articulation of public administration bodies and entities that deal with the topic.
Burity cited recent data to highlight the progress made in food security in Brazil. The number of people facing severe food and nutritional insecurity decreased from 15.5% of the population in 2022 to 4.1% in 2023, according to data from the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (PNADC) of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
Jorge Meza, FAO Representative in Brazil, emphasized the institution’s commitment to ending hunger worldwide and stated that the main problems are not in food production but in the political efforts of countries. “It is not enough to have food. It is important that the population has access, and for that, there must be agricultural and social development public policies, which are fundamental,” he said. Meza stressed the relevance of dialogues like this to exchange knowledge and best practices, reinforcing that agrifood systems cannot be seen as something external, as everyone is part of them.
Paul Logt, Agricultural Counselor at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Brazil, highlighted that organizing this event was an excellent initiative. “There are many Brazilian organizations working for food security. I was impressed that there is a commission with more than 20 ministries to address the topic (Caisan),” he commented. “The Netherlands has good seeds, good agricultural logistics, we are good at organizing small farmers into cooperatives and accessing markets. We have much to contribute. Brazil, FAO, and the Netherlands have a shared responsibility to address this subject more.”
Discussions within the G20
The event took place parallel to the agenda of the G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (G20 MACS), an annual meeting of the presidencies of agricultural research organizations linked to the ministries of agriculture or similar bodies of G20 countries, aimed at promoting discussions focused on research and development in agriculture and to give global visibility to food security issues, in addition to allowing future collaborations.
The G20 is an important global forum that discusses aspects of global economic governance, and together, its nations represent about 80% of the world economy and have two-thirds of the planet’s population. Brazil’s representative at G20 MACS is Embrapa.
Marcelo Morandi, from Embrapa’s International Relations Advisory, the institution that currently holds the presidency of G20 MACS, stated that this position puts Brazil in the global spotlight and is an opportunity to show how the country has built its agriculture based on science, seeking to balance production and preservation. “We have a great capacity to be a reference for tropical agriculture and also in how to support other countries in creating development mechanisms for this.”
The event was attended by members of different ministries and secretariats, such as the Ministry of Agriculture of the Netherlands, researchers from Wageningen University, as well as other UN system organizations and financial institutions such as the World Bank and the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES).
