Two missions were implemented within the activities proposed by the Seeds for Tomorrow Project, in the Republic of Congo. The first, held during the week of 28 July, focused on technical training, while the second, during the week of 4 August, aimed at consolidating results achieved by the project and plan the next steps.
The Project aims to promote family farming and school feeding through public procurement in the African country and is part of South-South cooperation initiative between the governments of Brazil and the Republic of Congo, with support from the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) and funding from the IBAS Fund (India, Brazil and South Africa).
Training
The mission promoted two training courses on soil management and biofertiliser production, taught by Marenilson Batista, Director of Technical Assistance and Rural Extension at the Secretariat of Family Farming and Agroecology of the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Farming (MDA).
“South-South cooperation within the Project promoted the exchange of experiences between Brazil and the Republic of Congo. This exchange is essential for countries to have healthy food,” he said.
Strategic Monitoring
While the second agenda included the consolidation of the main results achieved by the project, proposing a perspective for the next articulations, focusing on discussions about resource mobilisation, public financing mechanisms, and intersectoral governance of school feeding.
On the Brazilian side, the delegation included Riffat Iqbal, Project Analyst for Trilateral and South-South Cooperation at the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Karina Scotton, Director of the Family Farming Development Division of the National School Feeding Programme at the National Fund for Education Development (FNDE); and Roseli Zerbinato, General Coordinator for Food Procurement and Distribution at the Secretariat for Supply, Cooperatives and Food Sovereignty of the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Farming (MDA).
Representing the Congolese government was Ms. Pitchou Prudence Banga-Mboko, Director General of Basic Education at the Ministry of Pre-school, Primary, Secondary and Literacy Education. Also in attendance were Mr. Gon Myers, Director of the World Food Programme Office in Congo; Nadia Goodman, Coordinator of the Seeds for Tomorrow Project; and Maria Giulia Senesi, Programme Officer at the WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger in Brazil.
Throughout the event, participants engaged in discussions on lessons learned, outlined next steps for cooperation, and explored strategies to scale up the results achieved.
At the local level, since January 2024, the School Feeding with Local Products (HGSF) approach has been tested in 10 schools, involving 10 farmers’ associations in the departments of Bouenza, Pool and Plateaux.
Participants from the Congolese and Brazilian governments discussed the possibility of continuing to explore South-South cooperation avenues within the next phase of implementing the Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) initiative in Congo.
Cooperation Model
The project began in June 2023 and will be completed in October 2025, with the aim of strengthening the institutional capacities of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MAEP) and the Ministry of Pre-school, Primary, Secondary Education and Literacy (MEPPSA), with a view to supporting small producers’ access to local markets and structuring a national school feeding programme based on purchases from family farms.
“This project clearly demonstrates the capacity of South-South cooperation to generate innovative, locally adapted and sustainable solutions,” said Gon Myers, WFP Country Director in the Republic of Congo. “It reaffirms the strategic partnership between Brazil and the Republic of Congo, built on shared values and mutual learning. Together, we have laid the foundations for a transformative model that nourishes, educates and empowers — placing students, producers and communities at the centre of a shared vision for sustainable development,” he said.
For the Charge d’Affaires of the Brazilian Embassy in the Republic of Congo, Minister Ana Suza, the Seeds for Tomorrow project is an initiative that has brought together the ministries of agriculture and education of both countries to strengthen food and nutrition security for students. “It is proof that the intersectoral approach, although complex, produces impactful results. The success of this project will certainly serve as inspiration for other initiatives,” she said.