Family farming, community kitchens help fight hunger in Brazil

Family farmers and community kitchen leaders in Brazil are celebrating World Food Day on Friday (Oct. 16), hopeful that their collective efforts can keep the country off the Hunger Map. In July, the United Nations reaffirmed that Brazil has maintained its undernourishment rate below 2.5 percent for the past three years.

Dona Maria do Cerrado, a community leader in Brasília, runs the Cantinho da Vovó Community Kitchen, which serves over 800 vulnerable individuals each week. Dona Maria and 37 volunteers spend three days per week sorting, storing, preparing food, setting tables and welcoming guests, providing not just meals but also a sense of belonging. For Dona Maria, these gatherings are where nourishment and healing occur, with food treated with care and reverence.

The community kitchen receives fresh produce directly from Hosana Alves do Nascimento, a daughter of family farmers. She converted an urban plot in São Sebastião into an agroforestry system producing leafy greens, vegetables, root crops, fruit, and oilseed trees, all without pesticides. By optimizing the small area, they maximize yields and practice agroecology.

The connection between producers and the community kitchen was established through the Food Acquisition Program, a Ministry of Agrarian Development initiative that purchases food from farmers and supplies it to kitchens. These kitchens, supported by the Ministry of Social Development, are part of a policy to aid those experiencing food insecurity.

Lilian Rahal, Secretary of Food and Nutritional Security at the Ministry of Social Development, highlights the importance of these partnerships in delivering healthy, locally-produced food to areas inaccessible to government channels. This collaboration not only ensures access to nutritious food but also introduces a greater variety of foods to those in need.

Fernanda Machiaveli, Brazil's Minister of Agrarian Development, notes that the fight against food insecurity began during the pandemic, spurred by civil society efforts that led to the formation of community kitchens.