THE POTENTIAL OF PUBLIC FOOD PROCUREMENT TO PROMOTE CITY-REGION FOOD SYSTEMS

Public procurement of food from family farming has emerged as a powerful tool to transform food systems, by creating demand for healthy and sustainable food. In urban centres, where there is a growing need for food, it can play a crucial role in connecting urban consumption with rural production, strengthening rural-urban linkages. This study aimed to contribute to the discussion on the potential of public procurement as a policy tool to promote sustainable city-regions, based on the city-region food systems approach. To this aim, a descriptive study was conducted on the public purchases of food from family farming by the Brazilian School Feeding Programme in a representative Brazilian metropolis, Campinas, São Paulo, from 2013 to 2019, based on public databases provided by the Accountability Management System of the National Fund for the Development of Education (FNDE) and the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA). The results indicated that the potential of the programme was not fully realised in the metropolis of Campinas, given that the purchase of local, sociobiodiverse and organic food from family farming fell short of the incentives outlined in the legislation. This observation underscores the necessity for further improvements to better align the public policy with its sustainable objectives, not only in Campinas but also in other urban centres seeking to strengthen their linkages with rural producers.