Grant for the development of a public policy to promote urban gardens

ZeroCem's work had as its central objective to advance the investigation and design of strategies that can be developed by the Federal Government to promote Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture (AUP) practices.

The study was guided by the recognition of the connection between AUP and Food and Nutrition Security (SAN), articulating an interest in expanding and qualifying food production initiatives in urban centers, on sustainable bases (such as organic, regenerative or agroecological agriculture), as a strategy to achieve this objective, especially in relation to vulnerable populations.

Furthermore, in addition to contributing to food and nutritional security, there is an intersection between UPA practices and other dimensions, such as: urban planning and land use management; environment and biodiversity; and the contribution to community life and the appreciation of traditional knowledge and cultures.

Thus, the conception of the AUP promotion policy is defended as essentially multi-purpose, as it brings together multiple focuses of interest and the possibility of synergy with different fields, especially SAN.

The project led by Instituto Escolhas and conducted by ZeroCem assumes that the federal level occupies a strategic position to contribute to public policy to promote AUP, despite the fact that these initiatives are implemented at the local level. This perspective guided the development of the work and the structuring of this report.

In fact, the adoption of this premise is supported by the recent publication of Federal Decree No. 11,700/2023, which established a new National AUP Program, signaling the Federal Government's openness to the topic and possible synergy opportunities based on the work carried out.

In methodological terms, based on the premises and objectives, two lines of action were structured throughout the study, which are complementary and articulated. On the one hand, an assessment of the current stage of implementation of local policies to promote UPA was conducted, based on case studies in the cities of Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro and Recife, which was called Line of Action 1. The three cases were selected jointly by the Escolhas and ZeroCem institutes, seeking a cross-section of municipal capitals with ongoing urban agriculture policies, located in different regions of the country. To provide the necessary support for the field study, technical cooperation agreements were established between the Escolhas Institute and the three municipal governments involved.

The survey conducted in Action Line 1, whose case studies were reported in Part I of this report, aimed to identify the public policy strategies to support the AUP adopted in each case, the governance structure of the
Municipality, the types of production and spaces mobilized and the results of the
policy regarding direct or indirect beneficiaries, as well as any perceived obstacles.

As a second aspect of the study, Action Line 2 was articulated, in which an examination of the current policy framework, at federal level, related to the topic of AUP was conducted.

This stage aimed to identify relevant actors, existing instruments, current challenges and beneficiaries contemplated, in order to outline opportunities for progress, including considering ongoing regulatory and legislative detailing strategies.

For the development of both lines of work, conversations and
interviews with managers (both federal and municipal), civil society actors and, mainly, agricultural producers, who contributed essential perspectives to understanding the reality of the dynamics of AUP initiatives. Given their importance to the study, they are duly rewarded in the credits section at the end of the work.

From these two sources of information, we sought to promote a synthesis of field studies, which outline local realities in the implementation of policies.
of AUP, and the mapping, at federal level, of opportunities and obstacles that may indicate potential paths for qualifying promotion.

Thus, the conjunction of bottom-up and top-down perspectives allowed
formulate a set of strategies to promote AUP, which are in line with reality
municipal contexts and consider the possibilities of support from the Federal Government. The report on these strategies makes up Part II of this report.

Finally, it is worth noting that the initiative led by Instituto Escolhas, which includes the work developed by ZeroCem, also involves EcoRural simulating the potential for food production, service to beneficiaries, and generation of jobs and income from AUP initiatives. There is a clear complementarity between the two fronts, since the strategies outlined in the study should support the simulation effort, in order to concretely illustrate the potential gains that can arise from qualifying the promotion of urban and peri-urban agriculture in the country.

Full Report