The second Beyond Cotton Project webinar focused on public purchases from family farms, bringing together representatives from Brazil and Mozambique in a technical and institutional dialogue. The event took place on 13 August and was attended by experts in international cooperation, food security and agricultural marketing.
The opening was conducted by Riffat Iqbal, from the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), and Adilson Ferreira, technical director of the Brazilian Cotton Institute (IBA), as well as Eliene Sousa, from the Project Unit of the WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger in Brazil.
Riffat Iqbal highlighted the importance of long-standing partnerships in the context of South-South cooperation. Adilson Ferreira commented on the importance of associativism, which opens new horizons for family farming in Brazil and partner countries.
Next, Ênio Moura de Souza, manager of programming and monitoring of family farming at the National Supply Company (CONAB), presented an overview of public procurement in Brazil, with emphasis on the Food Acquisition Programme (PAA).
The Mozambican perspective was presented by Ancha de Raíssa Ainadine, from the Mozambique Cotton and Oilseeds Institute (IAOM), who discussed the government’s views on the challenges of institutional marketing in Mozambique.
The event also presented practical experiences from the Beyond Cotton Project in Mozambique, with reports from Marisete Araújo, local project coordinator, presenting the results and recommendations on cotton and intercropped food crops in the project locations.
The webinar was closed by Eliene Sousa, who also acted as moderator, reinforcing the commitment to South-South cooperation in promoting family farming and food security.
A total of three webinars will be held for the Beyond Cotton Project. The next one will be on 24 September and will focus on ‘Sensitive agriculture and nutrition – Diversified production and food and nutritional security’.
The full webinars (in Portuguese, English and French) are available on the Centre of Excellence’s YouTube channel.