The PAA-Africa international seminar – Africa Food Purchase Program, starting this Monday (July 2) in the Itamaraty Palace (Foreign Ministry) in Brasilia, marks the official launch of a series of exchanges of experiences between Brazil and five African countries – Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger and Senegal – who are interested in formulating their own policies for food purchase combined with development of family farming and access to food. The Food Purchase Program promotes access to food for people in an insecure food supply situation and fosters social and economic inclusion in the countryside through strengthened family farming. It also contributes to the formation of strategic stocks and supplies to social care institutions and allows family farmers to stock products to be sold at fair prices.

PAA-Africa is to be developed in Niger, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal and Ethiopia. The intention is that each country will develop a project based on the Brazilian experience. To this end the FAO has hired consultants to undertake a diagnosis of each country and assist in designing a pilot project for food procurement. The program will receive investment of US$ 2 million.

Following presentations and workshops in Brasilia, the delegates will make a field visit in the Municipality of Arapiraca in the State of Alagoas, where they will see how PAA works in the field. The PAA-Africa seminar is sponsored by the Ministry of Social Development and the ‘Combate à Fome’ program – Fight Against Hunger – in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the World Food Program and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), with support from the British overseas development department (DFID).