The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), scheduled for November 2025 in Belém, Pará, will use ingredients from family farming to prepare meals for event participants. The aim is to provide “healthy food at fair prices with environmental responsibility,” according to Nilza de Oliveira, Operations Director at the Extraordinary Secretariat for COP30 at the Office of the Chief of the Brazilian Government (Secop/CC).

In addition to the international menu that is traditional at conferences, all the restaurants and kiosks at COP30 Amazônia will offer vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, lactose-free food, food permitted by Islamic law (halal) and also food permitted by Judaism (kosher). The Brazilian management is working to ensure that the ingredients for these meals can also come from family Agriculture.

The event will also highlight culinary options from Pará, connecting the international public with local culture and producers. Secop/CC's project manager, Vitor Arroyo, who is also working on the issue, pointed to the importance of this effort. “At COP events, food is sometimes seen merely as a means to satisfy hunger and maintain energy. However, it is actually deeply connected to climate, land work, and all that this signifies for social formation as well,” said Arroyo.

The decision aligns with the expectation that the menu at COP30 in Brasil will reflect commitments to addressing climate change. In 2023, during COP28 in Dubai, a letter from the food@COP initiative was presented to the conference presidency. food@COP is a coalition of youth groups, networks, and civil society organizations united by the conviction that international climate conferences should exemplify the vision of a sustainable future. This vision is embodied through the food served at these events, which should be accessible, nutritious, predominantly plant-based, and culturally inclusive, reflecting the urgency of actions to tackle the climate crisis.

At COP events, food is sometimes seen merely as a means to satisfy hunger and maintain energy. However, it is actually deeply connected to climate, land work, and all that this signifies for social formation as well
VITOR ARROYO
Secop/CC's project manager

Family agriculture in Brazilian food

Family farming is an agricultural production model based on small rural properties, where most of the labor comes from the family itself. According to the latest Agricultural Census by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics [Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística/IBGE] in 2017, there were approximately 3.9 million family farming establishments in the country, representing 77% of the total agricultural properties.

The sector employs over 10 million people, representing 67% of rural jobs. The Brazilian government’s support for family farming is not new; there are public policies in place for food purchases for schools and public institutions, as well as subsidies for small farmers. ”The government has already implemented or is working on these policies to support the sector across the country, which is why we want the same approach for COP30,” explained Nilza.

In 2023, a 85% reduction in food insecurity was recorded in Brasil, according to the 2024 edition of the United Nations report on the State of Food Security in the World. Family agriculture is responsible for 70% of the food consumed in Brasil.

According to the Secretariat of Family Farming of the State of Pará (Seaf/PA), the host state of COP30 has approximately 300,000 family farmers, responsible for a large portion of the food that reaches the tables of the people of Pará. Family agricultural production in Pará is diverse, including crops such as cassava, açaí, pineapple, coconut, black Pepper, and Brasil nuts [castanha do Pará].

Family Agriculture in the Fight Against Climate Change
Family farming contributes to mitigating climate change through sustainable practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote ecosystem resilience. These include the use of agroecology and agroforestry systems, which integrate agricultural crops with trees and native vegetation. Family agriculture often employs techniques for sustainable management of natural resources, such as efficient water use and soil conservation. These practices reduce the need for external inputs, such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides, whose production and application are associated with significant greenhouse gas emissions.