Bridging indigenous peoples’ food systems and school meals programmes: evidence and gaps

Borelli, T.; Cabral, B.d.C.; Mendonce, S.; Hunter, D.; Pero, A.; Rosado-May, F. (2025) Bridging indigenous peoples’ food systems and school meals programmes: evidence and gaps. 3 p.

Despite their essential contributions, Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems (IPFS) are often marginalized in current policies and programmes and are the most affected by socio-economic and climate-related disparities. Paradoxically, they also hold many of the solutions to global crises. Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples requires recognizing and integrating Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge, cultures, and rights into national policies and systems. School meals programmes are a concrete way to achieve this. Bridging IPFS with these programmes ensures the right to culturally appropriate food and strengthens self-determination, local economies, and intergenerational knowledge transfer. This brief identifies the barriers to Indigenous participation in school feeding supply chains and outlines ways to overcome them through targeted policies and actions. It was prepared for the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) Twenty-fourth Session (21 April – 2 May 2025) and supports the Forum’s 2025 theme on implementing Indigenous rights within UN Member States and systems.