From 26 to 30 May, Brazil will be visited by a delegation from Benin on a technical mission as part of the Beyond Cotton Project, an initiative that promotes the valorisation of food crops in rotation systems with cotton, with a focus on family farming, school feeding and food and nutritional security.
The mission will be carried out with the support of the World Food Programme (WFP) Centre of Excellence against Hunger in Brazil, the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), the Federal University of Western Bahia (UFOB) and the government of Benin.
During their stay in Brasilia and the region, representatives from Benin’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, the National Food and Nutrition Agency and the WFP office in the country will take part in an intense programme aimed at exchanging knowledge with Brazilian institutions.
The agenda will include workshops on pricing fresh food, visits to schools and health units, meetings with family farmers’ cooperatives, as well as dialogues on public policies for food, nutrition and rural development.
In the first few days, the delegation will learn about Brazilian experiences linked to the National School Feeding Programme (PNAE) and the Food Acquisition Programme (PAA), as well as initiatives in syntropic (agroecological) agriculture and the marketing of family farming products.
The Brazilian structure of food and nutrition security policies will also be presented, including programmes such as Bolsa Família, SISAN, solidarity kitchens and the Brazil Without Hunger Plan.
At the end of the mission, the participants will visit food production and supply experiences conducted by farmers in the Chapadinha Settlement, as well as activities at Sítio Semente, a reference in agroecological practices.
The mission also foresees the joint construction of proposals for the project’s operational plan for the second half of 2025 and the production of audiovisual materials documenting the results of the co-operation.
The Beyond Cotton Project is a South-South cooperation initiative that connects Brazilian knowledge with solutions to increase the income, production and food security of small farmers in African countries such as Benin, Mozambique and Tanzania.