The Brazilian Forum of Sovereignty and Food Security (FBSSAN), created in 1998, comprises a wide range of organizations, networks, social movements, research institutions, individuals linked to the fields of health, nutrition, human rights, agroecology, family farming , solidarity economy, popular education in the fight for the Right to Adequate Food (HRAF) and Food Sovereignty.
The Forum seeks to sensitize and mobilize sectors of society to a vision system SAN and not just for fighting hunger, creating interactions between civil society organizations and influencing public policy proposals. The objectives of the current strategic management FBSSAN (2009-2012):
Contribute to the mobilization of civil society in the struggle for sovereignty and food security and nutrition.
Promote increased coordination and dialogue forums and other dynamic state of mobilization SAN.
Influence the formulation and monitoring of public policies SAN, seeking to contribute to the realization of the principle of adequate and healthy food.
Develop working method in order to identify flags integrative fields intersecting and interdependent relation to the construction of proposals agreed.
Enhance the experience of dialogue with society developed by social movements and NGOs, as recognized innovation to the work of the political-pedagogical FBSSAN.
Configure themselves in strategic areas of action of FBSSAN:
1) Councils and other bodies in the public sphere: the National Food Security Food Security and Nutrition (Consea), State Councils SAN; Intersectoral Commission on Food and Nutrition (CIAN), Special Committee for Monitoring Violations DHAA; Advisory Group of the National School Nutrition; Thematic Committee Steering Group Food Acquisition Program (EAP).
2) Interaction with forums and networks active in the field of the Human Right to Food, Food Sovereignty and Food Security: Joints by DHAA; ASBRAN; National Articulation of Agroecology (ANA), Brazilian Forum of Solidarity Economy, National Forum for Urban Reform , joints of the feminist movement.
3) State Forums Ssan.
4) Regional Network of Civil Society for Food and Nutrition Security (REDSAN), formed by speaking countries.
The FBSSAN been playing an important role in building the political agenda of sovereignty and food and nutrition security in the country through the following actions: i) strengthening and qualification of civil society action in Consea, which is a strategic consultation and policy formulation public ii) deepening the dialogue with other networks and civil society forums for deepening and publicizing of the criticisms of the current model of development and its impacts on the human right to food and food sovereignty; iii) joint construction of spaces for reflection and debate on public policy proposals with the systemic approach SAN iv) approach and strengthening of spaces for dialogue and exchange of experiences with national networks SAN Portuguese Speaking Countries.
The Forum actively participated in the process of formation of new management Consea (2012-2014) and his influence on the political agenda for 2012. Noteworthy was the election of Maria Emilia Pacheco, member of the executive coordination FBSSAN for the presidency of Consea with broad support from social movements, networks and forums. The link between networks, forums and movements that make up the advisory group of the National School Feeding (PNAE), among which FBSSAN assured in the draft resolution which regulates the program: a) binding between the prices charged by PAA (program food acquisition and the reference price of the Program), the selection of suppliers of family farming not use criterion of the lowest price (as there is a reference price) and are valued other criteria related to the principles of proper nutrition and healthy development site ( priority for local groups, formal groups, agroecological food).
The Forum also been playing a strategic role in the debate on the regulation of food and contributed to the creation of the Front for the Regulation of Food Advertising that links organizations in the areas of health, education, human rights and consumer rights. The expansion of the field of SAN alliances with organizations of consumer protection, health and nutrition have produced other results: a) awareness of organizations in the field of health and nutrition for dialogue between healthy food and agroecology b) membership organizations representing the field nursing to petition against the release of transgenic rice c) formation of commission on pesticides and GMOs in the Federal Council on Nutrition, d) integration agenda on the impact of pesticides on the Intersectoral Committee for Food and Nutrition (CIAN), Council body National Health
The Encounter Dialogue and Convergence, held in September 2011 in Salvador, contributed to greater harmonization of networks, forums and social movements in the formation of alliances between various political demands (food sovereignty, agroecology, feminism, public health, environmental justice, economy solidarity) for visualization of criticism to the current model and the joint construction of alternatives.
In the international field, the recent inclusion of the Regional Network FBSSAN SAN Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP-Redsan) is enabling closer interaction with national networks and SAN Mozambique, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe , Cape Verde, Portugal and East Timor. The Redsan was an important actor in the Summit of Heads of State in Maputo (July 2012), has pressed governments with a view to ensuring the effective participation of civil society in decision-making processes of the newly created Regional Council of SAN CPLP.
The Network also influenced the work plan of the Council including the following proposals: a) creation of a working group on family farms, b) creation of a working group on nutrition in order to enhance the nutritional component of esan c) creation of a system of monitoring and evaluation of esan d) strengthening the exchange of public procurement programs of family farming food site.
It is important to note that in recent years we are experiencing a period with a clear contradiction. The action we took in a context of institutional weakness and the results achieved, as noted above, were significant, but the difficulty to get institutional support has left gaps, especially in the field of management and communication. Our assessment is that the Forum within the limiting conditions in which he worked, was able to act proactively, taking a prominent role in several events of the SAN environment. Growing recognition of the ability of the Forum to monitor and influence public policy and interacting network, seeking to achieve perspective of intersectionality.