Photo: Juliana Rossi

LUPPA LAB #3, the world’s largest public food policy lab, will take place from March 19 to 22. During the event, representatives from 38 Brazilian cities will gather to discuss the issues on the urban food agenda. This year’s edition is co-organized by the City of Curitiba, Paraná, host city and LUPPA mentor since the 1st edition. The opening, for guests, will be at 4 p.m. at the Memorial de Curitiba, and the remaining days will take place at the Curitiba Municipal Market, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., exclusively for representatives of LUPPA cities.

The program of the 3rd edition of the event includes round tables with municipal authorities, experience-sharing workshops, a diagnosis workshop, a workshop focused on developing a Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) plan, and visits to Curitiba’s FNS facilities.

The city of Curitiba has advanced FNS policies, with a series of programs, projects and actions ranging from food production to consumption, seeking to strengthen food systems and encompassing all aspects inherent to the act of eating. The implementation of Curitiba’s FNS facilities and actions began in 1958 with one of the buildings that will host this year’s LUPPA LAB, the Municipal Market.

About LUPPA LAB

The LAB is the main stage of the entire LUPPA journey, which has been running since 2021. Participating cities will be able to truly immerse themselves in the urban food agenda and move forward with their policies and programs from a systemic, intersectoral and participatory perspective. This year’s edition objectives are:

• Strengthen cities’ capacities to build, develop or improve FNS Plans that are systemic, intersectoral and participatory
• Learn about LUPPA’s approaches and tools and develop capacities for listening and dialogue, systems thinking, intersectoral action and collaboration
• Deepen understanding of LUPPA’s priority themes and inspire innovative actions through the sharing of experiences and successful programs on food systems
• Enhance the roles of the various stakeholders (civil society, departments of Environment, Agriculture, Education, etc.)
• Strengthen relationships among participants and strengthen the support community
• Give visibility to the agenda by placing it at the center of municipal agendas

This edition is mentored by the cities of Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Osasco, Recife and São Paulo and by the following organizations: Cátedra Josué de Castro de Sistemas Alimentares Saudáveis e Sustentáveis da USP – Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto Comida e Clima, GEPPAAS – Grupo de Estudos, Pesquisas e Práticas em Ambiente Alimentar e Saúde da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais – UFMG, GEPAD – Grupo de Estudos em Agricultura, Alimentação e Desenvolvimento da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul – UFRGS, IDEC – Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor, Grupo de Políticas Públicas (GPP) da Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (Esalq) da USP, Instituto Kairós Ética e Atuação Responsável and Instituto Regenera. During the event program, participating municipalities will be selected for mentoring sessions that will take place after the LAB.

To learn more about the LUPPA LAB methodology, click here.

Venues chosen for LUPPA LAB #3

The venues chosen for the event days are significant in Curitiba’s local history: the Memorial de Curitiba, where LUPPA opens, was founded in 1996 and is one of the city’s cultural centers. The space is used for seminars, lectures, workshops, conferences, events and other activities. The building also houses paintings by Curitiba-born visual artist Sérgio Ferro about the formation of the city, the Mirante Marumbi and the Teatro do Memorial.

The Municipal Market has existed since 1958, is the city’s oldest food and nutrition security facility and one of the largest organic food retail centers in Paraná: it is home to restaurants, fish shops and the country’s first certified organic butcher. In addition to pesticide-free food, the market brings together local handicraft shops, a shoemaker, home decor and clothing stores, and Japanese cuisine establishments. On weekends, the space is filled with live music and dance performances.

About LUPPA

LUPPA is a project of Instituto Comida do Amanhã, co-organized with ICLEI Brasil, with full support from Instituto Ibirapitanga, ICS – Instituto Clima e Sociedade, Fundação José Luiz Egydio Setúbal and Porticus, institutional support from FAO Brasil – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and methodological partnership with Reos Partners.