On February 24, the Laboratório Urbano de Políticas Públicas Alimentares (LUPPA – Urban Laboratory of Public Food Policies) held the first workshop of its 5th edition. The virtual meeting brought together representatives of the cities joining this new cycle, as well as municipalities already taking part in the program, for a round of official introductions, marking the start of the training journey that will unfold throughout the year.

The workshop was attended by representatives from Autazes (AM), Bayeux (PB), Boa Vista (RR), Cruzeiro do Sul (AC), Montenegro (RS), Parauapebas (PA) and São José dos Pinhais (SP). The group of cities joining this edition also includes Altamira (PA), Planaltina (GO), Ribeirão das Neves (MG) and Ubá (MG), which, together with the municipalities already in the program, make up a total of 65 cities in this edition, with diverse territorial realities and concrete challenges in strengthening their public policies for Food and Nutrition Security (SAN).

The goals of LUPPA’s first workshop were to celebrate the start of the new edition, present the profile of the participating cities and share the design of the program’s journey in 2026. It was also a space for the municipalities to share their expectations and priorities for the cycle. Among the main themes identified in the preparatory interviews conducted in January and February are strengthening SAN governance, structuring and activating bodies such as CAISAN and CONSEA, advancing the agroecological agenda, and building food systems that are more resilient to economic crises, extreme weather events and migratory flows.

“LUPPA is a very large community, and every year a new group joins, while the cities that were already there also renew their participation. But we like to hold this first workshop dedicated to the incoming group, as a way of honoring those who are arriving,” said Juliana Tângari, director of Comida do Amanhã, in her opening remarks.

Introductions

During the round of introductions, the cities highlighted specific challenges and goals. In Bayeux (PB), for example, the priority is to strengthen the Municipal Food and Nutrition Security System. Boa Vista (RR), in turn, seeks to improve the implementation of its Municipal SAN Plan with greater intersectoral integration. Cruzeiro do Sul (AC) stressed the importance of structuring its governance in the face of logistical and agricultural production challenges, while Parauapebas (PA) intends to expand institutional knowledge of SAN policy and strengthen existing actions. São José dos Pinhais (PR) highlighted the need to consolidate food security as a cross-cutting agenda in public administration.

For Edilamar Marques, representative of Cruzeiro do Sul, joining the program comes at a strategic moment. “For us, LUPPA came at a very good, strategic moment, and I hope to learn a lot from those already in the program, from those who can give us a foundation and, above all, from the cities that already have experience and will be able to contribute so much more to us,” she says.

Stages

Throughout each edition, LUPPA is structured in different complementary stages. The journey includes monthly thematic seminars and periodic online workshops that delve into strategic content; LUPPA Lab, the in-person stage of immersion and exchange between cities, which in this edition will be held in Caxias do Sul (RS) in May; and LUPPA Web, an online event streamed live on Instituto Comida do Amanhã’s YouTube channel, which marks the close of the cycle and presents the initiative’s next steps.