In a report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE – FSN) released this Tuesday, the 2nd, the Urban Laboratory of Public Food Policies (LUPPA) was highlighted as a national network of cities.
The HLPE is a body that supports the work of the UN Committee on World Food Security; every year it examines a theme and publishes a report with technical analyses and public policy recommendations. This year, following in the footsteps of the 2023 report “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” (SOFI), the chosen theme was urban and peri-urban food systems and the context of growing global urbanization, with the aim of achieving food and nutrition security for the populations living in these areas. The report presents an in-depth analysis of the challenges and opportunities, showing how peripheral areas have a major impact on food systems, influencing production, distribution and consumption patterns worldwide.
In addition, the report also highlights the importance of multilevel, multilateral, multi-stakeholder governance and the relevance of city networks in supporting municipalities to advance in the management of food systems, citing LUPPA as an example. LUPPA is the world’s largest food policy lab, a program of Instituto Comida do Amanhã co-organized with ICLEI Brasil, which aims to facilitate the development of integrated, participatory municipal food policies with a systemic approach.
For Juliana Tângari, director of Comida do Amanhã and coordinator of LUPPA, this recognition acknowledges the relevance of the work LUPPA is carrying out in Brazil. “Just like IPES-Food in 2023, the HLPE recognizes the relevance of city support networks, especially national city networks, and, like IPES-Food, cites LUPPA as an example of a support and facilitation mechanism for cities. Once again LUPPA is included in a short list of examples worldwide, and is the only one from the Global South, which shows the relevance of the work we are doing here,” she highlighted.
This report is an important tool for policymakers, researchers and stakeholders dedicated to ensuring food and nutrition security in the context of rapid urbanization. Access the full report at: https://www.fao.org/cfs/cfs-hlpe/publications/hlpe-19.
About LUPPA:
LUPPA is a project of Instituto Comida do Amanhã, co-organized with ICLEI América do Sul, with full support from Instituto Ibirapitanga, ICS – Instituto Clima e Sociedade, Fundação José Luiz Egydio Setúbal and Porticus, institutional support from FAO Brazil – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and methodological partnership with Reos Partners Brasil.