Strengthening alternative food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean: Identities and resistance in informal urban settings

Join researchers on December 5 for a webinar that will share research results from the project Enhancing the resilience of alternative food systems in informal settings in Latin America and the Caribbean through bottom-up initiatives. 

Across Latin America and the Caribbean, low-income and marginalized communities are creating informal, bottom-up solutions to complex challenges like climate change, natural hazards and food insecurity. Their efforts are transforming public spaces, housing and urban conditions — yet they are still not fully understood by academics and practitioners. Equally little is known about how conditions of urban informality — where infrastructure and services are scarce, land tenure is disputed, governance structures are fragile, and housing conditions are poor — influence the emergence of alternative food systems (AFS), which are local, healthy, equitable, inclusive and culturally relevant.

The initiative, called the SUSTENTO project, is now nearing its conclusion. It has aimed to facilitate the emergence, consolidation and stability of culturally relevant AFS in informal urban settings, addressing the new geographies of risk and foodscapes through approaches in architecture, urban design, engineering, sociology and geography. The goal has been to devise scalable solutions to reinforce AFS and, in this way, facilitate residents’ production, distribution and access to local, nutritious and culturally relevant food.  

Researchers will be presenting their findings in a webinar on December 5. Malek Batal, a researcher and professor at the Université de Montréal, Canada, will begin by situating the discussion within broader debates on food systems, nutrition and urban resilience, exploring SUSTENTO’s findings and their implications on policy. Then, project director Gonzalo Lizarralde will provide more context about the SUSTENTO project, its comparative perspective across Latin America and the main lessons that will frame the roundtable discussion.

The roundtable will be moderated by Elsa Monsalve, social coordinator at Presentes Corporación, Colombia. Panelists will include:  

• Alix Valoyez (Siloé, Colombia)
• Teresa Urenda (Concepción, Chile)
• Adriana López (Universidad del Valle, Colombia)
• Sara Latorre (FLACSO Ecuador) 

Together, they will bring “voices from the territory,” sharing their experiences in leading or accompanying micro-projects on AFS and reflecting on how these local initiatives connect to broader questions of urban vulnerability, care and resilience. 

The event is open to the public. However, please note that the webinar will be conducted primarily in Spanish, with several elements presented in English. 

Learn more about the project.