Latin American and Caribbean countries seek to strengthen school feeding programmes through South-South cooperation

The school feeding programme (SFP) of the Dominican Republic reaches 20% of the country’s population and provides nutritionally adequate and healthy food to students in the public education system, also contributing to reducing school dropout. Considered one of the country’s main social investments, the programme provides breakfast and lunch to more than two million students.

With the aim of further strengthening this public policy, a delegation from the National Institute of Student Welfare (INABIE) conducted a technical mission to Brazil and Paraguay to exchange experiences on school feeding, analyse challenges and learn about solutions implemented in both countries.

The mission, held from 14 to 18 September, included technical presentations by institutions responsible for the management, nutrition, health and logistics of the school feeding programmes in the three countries, as well as visits to schools and meetings with family farmers involved in public procurement programmes for school feeding. The RAES Network currently comprises 18 member countries, including Brazil, Paraguay and the Dominican Republic.

Brazil and Paraguay: sharing experiences

Over five days, the Dominican delegation learned about experiences from Brazil and Paraguay in different areas of school feeding, from management and financing to public procurement from family farmers, regulatory frameworks, menu planning, logistics, storage, distribution, and participation and social accountability mechanisms. The exchanges also addressed sustainability strategies and the links between food, education and health.

The Chief of Staff of ABC/MRE, Minister Andreia Rigueira, noted that, through RAES, “we have succeeded in strengthening the exchange of knowledge and experiences, promoting school feeding programmes and, consequently, contributing to tackling food insecurity”.

Paraguay’s Minister of Social Development, Tadeo Rojas, highlighted the importance of exchanging experiences and knowledge to strengthen school feeding programmes and emphasized the value of Paraguay’s participation in the Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES) as a space for learning.

In cooperation with FAO, INABIE is implementing the project “Healthy and Sustainable Schools: Innovation and Strengthening of the School Feeding Programme”, aimed at strengthening links between local agricultural production and school feeding, promoting healthy eating habits and contributing to improved nutrition among students.

Luis Lizardo, Director of Health and Nutrition at INABIE and head of the Dominican Republic delegation, thanked the Governments of Brazil and Paraguay and FAO for their support, also highlighting the country’s exit from the Hunger Map in 2026. “None of this is possible without the school feeding programme, without the Sustainable School Feeding Network, RAES. Through school feeding, it is possible to move towards better food and nutrition for all citizens of our country,” he said.

The technical mission was promoted by INABIE, with the support and coordination of the RAES Network, and with the participation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) country offices in the Dominican Republic, Brazil and Paraguay. It also received support from the Government of Brazil, through the National Fund for Education Development (FNDE) and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ABC/MRE), and from the Government of Paraguay, through the National School Feeding Council (CONAE), the Ministry of Social Development (MDS) and other institutions involved in Paraguay’s Zero Hunger Programme.

Strengthening school feeding through regional cooperation

For Karine Santos, General Coordinator of the National School Feeding Programme (PNAE) at FNDE, the exchange of experiences during the mission is key to enabling participants to take back strategies to their countries that can be implemented. Karine emphasized the value of networking to strengthen school feeding. “When we can share experiences, listen to similar challenges and think about joint strategies, we can achieve better school feeding programmes: more sustainable, fair, equitable and nutritious,” she said.

“Promoting the exchange of experiences among countries is key to strengthening school feeding programme managers in their decision-making and, step by step, achieving the realization of the human right to adequate food for all students. We are together to share lessons learned, address challenges and move towards increasingly sustainable school feeding systems,” said Najla Veloso, Executive Secretary of RAES.

Adoniram Sanches, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Mesoamerica, highlighted the strategic role of school feeding programmes in transforming food systems. According to him, these programmes go beyond providing a daily meal, as they also contribute to fostering healthy eating habits. He also highlighted the experiences of Brazil and Paraguay in linking school feeding with family farming and noted that strategic public policies such as school feeding programmes are among the factors behind the progress made in reducing hunger in the region in recent years.

The mission also included the participation of two professionals from Honduras as observers, representing the civil society organization Association for a More Just Society.