Food as Strategic Driver in the Sustainable Regeneration Process of the Rocinha Favela

The chapter focuses on the “food” thematic asset, presenting in the first part the main urgencies deriving and connected to the food system emerging in the Rocinha context and the outcomes from the critical and comparative analysis of existing food policies and practices. These highlight the main barriers to implementing and stabilizing food policies/measures and the opportunities (and inspirations) from existing experiences. The final parts are dedicated to the “food projects” integrated into the PolimiparaRocinha urban regeneration process, focusing on the synergies and connection with the whole framework of the PolimiparaRocinha vision and on the “food initiatives” proposed and shared with the local communities. Food is one of the main drivers for the regeneration process of the Rocinha favela: its strong correlations with the water management sector (water drainage) and with waste management (reuse of organic waste) made food policies and related interventions a crucial tool in the design/implementation process of synergic strategies towards a new circular metabolism of Rocinha.