Belém 2025: From Global Crises to Amazonian Solutions

By Jadh Azulay

Last November, I had the privilege of moderating the Belém Satellite Event on Food Security & Sustainability, ahead of the 11th International Summit on Food, Nutrition & Health. In the heart of the Amazon, where biodiversity, culture, and climate pressures converged with COP30, the discussions revealed how global nutrition challenges intersect with local realities, and how this region can point us toward new solutions.

Professor Sumantra Ray opened with a clear warning: the world must move beyond simply delivering calories. Countries now face overlapping burdens of malnutrition, from undernutrition and micronutrient gaps to rising obesity and diet-related diseases. Improving diet quality, securing sustainable financing, and strengthening food systems against climate and economic shocks emerged as urgent global priorities.

These themes took on deeper meaning during the recent field visit to Combu Island near Belem.  Conversations with residents highlighted persistent challenges: high costs of accessing fresh food, weak infrastructure, irregular electricity, unsafe drinking water, and limited basic services. Yet they also underscored the resilience of communities whose livelihoods and identities remain deeply tied to the forest. Any solution must respect this connection and address the structural barriers of geography, logistics, and cultural adequacy.

Innovation showcased at the event demonstrated paths forward. The TIGR2ESS program is developing climate-resilient crops and more sustainable rural systems. At the same time, the award-winning Mobile Teaching Kitchens empower marginalised women through culinary nutrition education and micro-enterprise, tackling food insecurity and breaking cycles of poverty from the ground up.

In this context, Elenilma Barros and Rosilene Reis, both nutritionists from the Regional Council of Nutrition, brought the Amazon discussions to remind us that food security here is inseparable from environmental protection, cultural identity, and social justice. Remote geography, agroindustrial expansion, shifting diets, and high food prices continue to undermine access to healthy, culturally relevant foods, with over half of households in the Amazon facing food insecurity. Strengthening family farming, agroecology, community-based production, and logistics adapted to rivers and forest landscapes are essential steps, alongside policies that value traditional knowledge and ensure Indigenous and local communities lead the process.

Education and foundational resources remain essential. María Verónica Flores-Bello stressed the integration of Sustainability Education into higher education and strengthening institutional nutrition education. Ester Feche highlighted the link between water security, public health, and the carbon footprint of local food production. Discussions also explored whether carbon markets could empower Indigenous communities sustainably, funding health education and regional food enterprises.

The event closed with updates from the COP30 negotiations, reaffirming that meaningful progress depends on interdisciplinary collaboration and commitments that bridge global frameworks with the lived realities of the Amazon. From Belém to the world, the message was clear: solutions to international food and climate crises will require listening to, and learning from, the people who keep the forest standing.