Healthy diets, and urban and family farming

Abstract

As a result of the debates held during the XI Seminar on Service, Research and Public Policy, on the theme “Urban Agriculture and Food and Nutrition Security: organic food in school meals”, this article summarizes the speeches of researchers, agricultural producers, representatives of civil society institutions and government agencies on urban food production. From the perspective of the of urban agriculture contribution to the quality of food, issues related to the scope and limits of the distribution of these foods through public facilities and destination to public policies, such as the school meal program, are addressed in light of experiences in the cities of São Paulo and Castro, in Paraná. Considering the supply of urban centers and the importance of organizational and food environments, debate took national and international guidelines on the social determinants of contemporary health and nutrition as a theoretical reference. The difficulties that mark the production of urban agriculture were addressed, and the actions of local initiatives that made it possible to advance towards a viable economic activity that promotes healthy eating and equity were presented. The role of public food policies, still limited in the field of urban agriculture, is evident to strengthen the work of farmers and public managers engaged in initiatives that already point to the potential for growth in this form of food production.