Mentoring for LUPPA’s 4th edition is already underway! In this phase of the program, Belo Horizonte (MG), Curitiba (SC), Osasco (SP), Recife (PE) and São Paulo (SP), cities that have already made significant progress in their food and nutrition security planning, will share their experiences and knowledge with the other 20 cities taking part in the mentoring. Barcarena (PA), host of LUPPA LAB #4, was also selected as a mentor city, but will begin acting in that role in 2026.

During LUPPA LAB #4, held from May 19 to 23, 2025, in Barcarena, the mentor cities and mentee cities that will work together over the coming months were defined. See the pairings below:

Belo Horizonte with:

Abaetetuba (PA)
Mãe do Rio (PA)
Porto Alegre (RS)
Santa Luzia (MG)

Curitiba with:

Benevides (PA)
Bragança (PA)
Itajaí (SC)
Santiago (RS)

Osasco with:

Caucaia (CE)
Caruaru (PE)
Francisco Morato (SP)
Santarém (PA)

Recife with:

Alenquer (PA)
Alto Paraíso de Goiás (GO)
Petrolina (PE)
Tefé (AM)

São Paulo with:

Arame (MA)
Contagem (MG)
Marituba (PA)
Porto Velho (RO)

The mentoring methodology aims to build a learning space among municipal officials and other actors in urban food systems, taking into account the specific characteristics of each territory. Activities take place over four virtual workshops, each lasting about two hours. The first meeting serves as an introduction and alignment session and already took place on the last day of LUPPA LAB 4 in Barcarena; the following ones are dedicated to exchanging experiences, technical cooperation and jointly building solutions.

Mentoring provides a space for qualified technical cooperation, where the exchange between mentor and mentee cities takes place in a close and continuous way. By sharing both consolidated lessons learned and the challenges faced in practice, officials have the opportunity to build solutions together, strengthening their capacities and adapting strategies to local realities. It is a process of mutual learning, based on listening, experience and trust.

About LUPPA

LUPPA is a collaborative platform and an ongoing learning program to support and enable cities to promote food policies with a systemic approach, in an intersectoral, coherent and participatory way. Conceived by Instituto Comida do Amanhã and co-organized with ICLEI Brasil, it receives full support from Instituto Ibirapitanga, ICS – Instituto Clima e Sociedade, ITAÚSA, Fundação José Luiz Egydio Setúbal and Porticus, as well as institutional support from FAO Brazil – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and methodological partnership from Reos Partners Brasil.