Rethink models, work with other markets and boost sustainable food production. This was the theme of the participation of the director of the WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger in Brazil, Daniel Balaban, at the opening of the event Encontros com o Futuro – Agribusiness and Sustainable Livestock Forum, held on March 11 in São Paulo.
During his online presentation, Daniel pointed out that Brazil has technology and know-how in the agricultural sector, and many countries in the Global South are interested. “It’s time for Brazil to place itself in these markets. Take it to Africa, in addition to the North American and European markets.”
According to him, Brazil should participate more actively in international forums to spread the experiences of Brazilian producers who are committed to sustainable production. “We must rethink how we debate and take Brazil’s model to the rest of the world. Our agribusiness has a lot of good people doing good things. Producers must defend their means of sustainable production. And the new generations demand sustainable products.”
He said that Brazil is more important than we realize in terms of food production, in a world that is experiencing a humanitarian tragedy. “Today there are 700 million people in the world suffering from hunger. And we know that where there is hunger there is susceptibility to war. Hunger leads to armed conflict.”
There is a link between humanitarian work and peace, which led the World Food Program (WFP) to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020. “The WFP is the largest humanitarian agency in the world and feeds 170 million people in situations of food and nutrition insecurity every day. Less hunger means less conflict. This is the link between peace and healthy food.”
In addition to Daniel Balaban, 11 other panelists spoke at the Forum to around 60 people. The initiative is promoted by World Observatory, the philanthropic arm of Produtora Brasileira, in partnership with PwC Brasil, PRIME (the UN’s arm for business universities in Brazil and around the world), Alumni FGV-EAESP, Sancor Seguros and the São Paulo Regional Administration Council (CRA-SP).