Brazil family farming minister: Transform global food production

Paulo Teixeira is Brazil’s Minister for Agrarian Development and Family Farming.

Not a week goes by without a reminder of the growing impact of climate change on our food systems. 

Torrential rains and floods have inundated agricultural heartlands from South Asia to the U.S. Midwest. Prolonged droughts and extreme heatwaves have devastated crops across the Horn of Africa and southern Europe. Storms and wildfires have wreaked havoc on farms from Australia to Brazil’s Pantanal.

The escalating climate and nature crises have forced governments worldwide to reassess rural development strategies and reconsider the foundations of food production.

In Brazil, we are working to strengthen the resilience of our food systems, reverse environmental impacts, and promote rural development with family farmers and agroecology at the forefront.

Last month, on World Food Day, President Lula launched a National Plan for Agroecology and Organic Production (PLANAPO), involving 14 ministries and mobilising approximately 9 billion reais ($ 1.5 billion) over four years. 

Agroecology is a holistic approach to food that is grounded in ecological and socio-economic principles. It brings multiple benefits: building climate resilience by restoring nature's safety net; reducing the harmful impacts of food production on the environment; and enhancing food security and rural economies by empowering farmers and consumers.  

Agroforestry - an approach which combines trees with crops or pasture - is also integral to Brazil’s efforts to restore degraded lands and enhance biodiversity.

For example, the Productive Forests Program supports communities in the Amazon and other biomes with the production and commercialisation of products such as rubber, açaí, cacau, shade-grown coffee, cupuaçú, and andiroba. It means trees are worth more standing than cut down.

State support for such activities generates income, bolsters food security, restores biodiversity, and helps mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. 

The world is undergoing a gradual transition from an agriculture predominantly based on chemical inputs to one based on biological inputs. We aim to accelerate this transition by stepping up the creation of “bio-factories” in rural communities to produce fertiliser from animal waste and crop residues, and by promoting alternative technologies, such as locally-adapted seeds and seedlings that are resistant to disease and pests.

Family farmers are at the heart of our mission to create healthier, sustainable and resilient food systems. There are 550 million small- and medium-sized farms globally who contribute 80% of global food production in value terms. These family farmers are often among the most vulnerable to climate impacts, but their expertise and experience also makes them a key part of the solution.

My ministry works closely with family farmer organisations and social movements to develop policies that combine income generation, social well-being, and environmental sustainability.

This has led to the creation of a 6 billion reais ($1 billion) rural credit scheme linked to support for agroecological production systems, the restoration of degraded areas, and the generation of clean energy in family production units.

Our National School Feeding and Institutional Purchase programs require schools, hospitals and other public bodies to purchase at least 30% of their food from small and medium scale farmers, and to prioritise local and organic produce wherever possible. 

Brazil is not alone. An increasing number of governments recognise the need to reform food systems. Last year, at COP28, Brazil joined 162 governments pledging to transform our food system by including food and agriculture in National Climate Plans. 

Alongside Norway, Sierra Leone, Cambodia and Rwanda, we co-founded the Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation, providing a framework for ambitious national action that encompasses every aspect of how food is produced, processed, distributed, consumed and disposed of.

And just yesterday at the G20 Summit in Rio, 148 governments and organisations joined the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, which aims to promote sustainable agricultural practices and enhance food system resilience worldwide - and deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals of ending hunger and poverty. 

The transformation of our food systems through a sustained agroecological transition in partnership with family farmers is an essential step to ensure the human right to adequate and healthy food, the protection and restoration of biodiversity, and more climate-resilient food production. 

With robust public policies and active international cooperation, Brazil seeks not only to improve its citizens' quality of life, but also to contribute to a more sustainable and equitable future for all.