Over 200 people attended the “Hacia un consumo sano y nutritivo: Dietas sostenibles en Bolivia”, or “Moving toward healthy and nutritious consumption: Sustainable Diets in Bolivia” Forum, organized on 29 April 2015 by Hivos and the Bolivian Institute of Foreign Trade (IBCE in Spanish). The event enjoyed the backing of the Ministry of Rural Development and Land, the Bolivian Gastronomic Integration Movement (MIGA in Spanish) and the Fundación Alternativas.
Guest speakers underlined Bolivia’s gastronomic variety and richness, as well as the results of public efforts with respect to increased production and access to food products, which have resulted in a decrease in malnutrition. At the same time, the speakers pointed out that overweight and obesity are beginning to emerge in Bolivia. Furthermore, they underlined the need to promote policies for the production of sustainable food products.
“Current patterns of food production, distribution and consumption are not sustainable and result in the gradual destruction of biodiversity and soil,” warned Corina Straastsma, head of Hivos in South America.
Among guest speakers present at the forum was Javier Thellaeche, Food Policy Manager at Fundación Alternativas, an organization that with Hivos’ support develops urban vegetable gardens in Bolivia. Co-creator of the La Paz Municipal Committee of Food Safety, Thellaeche explained the development of the Food Safety Autonomous Municipal Law of La Paz to promote better nutritional education.
Hivos works globally in the consolidation of open and green societies. An open society makes women and men assume responsibility for improving the living conditions of present and future generations, building an inclusive and fair environment. In a green society, citizens use renewable energy and have a say in the management of their natural resources and ecosystems, while state institutions generate innovative methods of food production following a climate-smart approach. In both societies, the self-determination of indigenous peoples is respected.
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