Centre of Excellence against Hunger in Brazil

The WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger Brazil is a global hub for South-South and Triangular Cooperation, knowledge management, capacity development, technical assistance and research.

As result of a partnership between WFP and the Government of Brazil, the centre supports governments in Africa, Asia and Latin America in developing sustainable solutions to achieve zero hunger.

Since 2011, we have supported over 80 countries in strengthening their capacities and developing nationally owned programmes.

Our main objective is to bring together countries that face similar challenges and promote exchanges around food and nutrition security – with a focus on local purchases for school feeding programmes linked to smallholder farming and nutrition.

What the World Food Programme is doing in CoE against Hunger

School meals: The WFP Centre of Excellence Against Hunger in Brazil partners with government agencies to promote Brazil’s National School Feeding Program (PNAE) – an initiative that can be shared and adapted to other countries' contexts. PNAE has a positive impact on health and nutrition, and enhances school attendance and performance.
Local purchases: The Centre of Excellence promotes public policies linked to local food purchases. This creates opportunities for family farmers and more vulnerable communities, especially those in rural areas, to access local markets and build a self-sufficient economy.
Nutrition: The Centre of Excellence promotes food and nutrition security through its South-South and Triangular Cooperation projects. In Latin America, it develops initiatives to prevent malnutrition among schoolchildren through data analysis and knowledge management, promoting nutritious diets in cooperating countries. In Africa, it promotes food and nutrition education for adults and children.
Climate resilience: The Centre of Excellence promotes the exchange of agroecological practices in partner countries through South-South and Triangular Cooperation. Developing community seed banks, building rainwater-harvesting cisterns, establishing water-efficient vegetable gardens, and intercropping food and cotton are some of the field activities aimed at enhancing climate resilience and improving food production for smallholder farmers. There is a strong focus on collaboration with African countries.