“Menjar canvia el món”, educational proposal for the right to healthy and sustainable food promoted by Fundesplai.
“Menjar canvia el món” is the title of the educational proposal for the right to healthy and sustainable food that Fundesplai and the entities that are part of it will promote among the more than 115,000 participants in the esplais, schools and other educational spaces where they are present this 2021-22 academic year. This program is part of the ethical framework of work on the values of Coexistence and Sustainability that Fundesplai has established for the coming years and that wants to contribute to the achievement of the goals set by the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations.
A planet in a state of emergency
The world is currently in a situation of climate, health and social emergency where food plays a fundamental role. On the one hand, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that in 2020 between 720 and 811 million people are still hungry, while indicating that today 40% of the population is overweight or obese. On the other hand, the agricultural and livestock production system that abuses irrigation, intensive crops, industrial farms, etc. is in many cases an accelerating factor of climate change (CO2 emissions, excessive water consumption…), impoverishment of nutritional quality for people or food waste, among others.
Planetary Health, nature and education
Fundesplai aims to contribute to improving the situation described through ” Menjar canvia el món” which includes three fundamental ideas of action: Planetary Health, reconnection with nature and education as a tool for transformation. Regarding the first concept, the 2030 Agenda highlights the interdependence between human health, animal health and the health of the planet. A sustainable food system (respectful of animal welfare, biodiversity…) will promote better human health and mitigate the effects of global warming.
The challenge of Planetary Health is linked to the reconnection with nature, in the sense that it is necessary to change the relationship of human beings with the planet in order to preserve its biodiversity from an attitude of care that prevails over domination. And it is at this point where education becomes a fundamental tool for change in order to promote these new behaviors of care and reciprocity towards nature.
Sustainable food in eduactive spaces
The educational proposal ” Menjar canvia el món” consolidates a line of action that Fundesplai has been working for years in the different educational spaces where it is present. One of these spaces where food has more weight is the school and where, for example, in the last five years, in the midday meals of the educational centers we manage we have reduced the presence of red meat (beef, pork) by 50% compared to 2016. And for the next academic year this reduction will be 75%. In addition, we have opted for fresh seasonal and local vegetables and fruits and we have also introduced sugar-free yogurts of organic production.
It should be noted that Fundesplai is present in 1,424 schools (school canteen, extracurricular activities, support for special educational needs…) and 119 esplais and leisure projects with a total of more than 115,000 participants in the different programs.
Teaching materials and the exhibition “Menja. Actua. Impacta.”
The educational proposal includes a whole series of pedagogical materials such as a website full of resources and activities, a notebook with the foundations and a pedagogical suitcase full of games and stories. All these elements will be complemented by a large exhibition of 1,100m2 entitled “Menja. Actua. Impacta” and will open on November 20, 2021. The exhibition will propose a critical reflection and a call to action on food and the different elements that appear interconnected: climate emergency, economy, sustainable development , culture, society…