The worker's plate: linking urban and rural through food vouchers

Abstract

Despite the recognition of the relationship among food systems, health and environment sustainability, the construction of integrated strategies to overcome problems related to the intersection of those areas faces difficulties. In an uncertain scenario about the continuity of agroecology and adequate and healthy food public policies, the strengthening of local levels initiatives to promote sustainable food systems is on the horizon. The relevance of the Worker Food Program is at the potential of reaching all links in the food system, benefiting the families' feeding. With the objective of exploring alternatives to the production and consumption relations to promote rural and urban health, this research was dedicated to deepen the knowledge about an emerging experience in workers' food. To this end, a case study was carried out on the food voucher model implemented by the Papayas enterprise in the city of Porto Alegre (RS). The results point to the potential of the analyzed initiative as a model to be multiplied, reinforcing the significant role that workers' food can play in rescuing connections between urban and rural and in strengthening sustainable food systems that promote health and rural development.