Food security and land-use conflicts within regional planning: The recent experience of the metropolitan region of belo horizonte, brazil

Abstract

Belo Horizonte, Brazil, has received attention for its pioneering food security programmes, which has inspired many jurisdictions around the world. However, food security programmes in metropolitan contexts necessarily involve cross-boundaries articulations over a wider territory, such as the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, which includes rural and urban areas of 34 municipalities and a population of over five million people. We discuss key challenges and outcomes related to the incorporation of food security proposals in the recent territorial restructuring plan, leading to two fundamental rights: the “right to the city” and the “right to adequate food”, the latter enshrined in the Brazilian constitution since 2010. The authors also consider the contributions from this case to better connections between sustainable City Region Food Systems and territorial planning.