Circularidade alimentar urbana: diagnóstico integrado e estratégias para Curitiba a partir de ferramentas combinadas

Abstract

Food waste is a persistent global challenge, with Brazil ranking 94th on the FAO Hunger Map and 10th among the world's largest food wasters. The circular economy emerges as a promising solution to mitigate this issue, focusing on waste reduction, resource reuse, and minimizing environmental impacts. The city of Curitiba was used as a model, given its capacity to apply circular economy principles to combat food waste, promote food security, strengthen the local economy, and raise public awareness. The results of this study were achieved through the development of an integrated and holistic model, based on statistical data and the application of various management tools. The analysis of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) revealed the main sources and bottlenecks of food waste in Curitiba’s urban food chain. The established KPIs included a 30% reduction in food waste, a 50% increase in food reuse, the expansion to 300 active urban gardens, and the engagement of 70% of the target population by 2035. These indicators were fundamental for continuous monitoring and for feeding back into the decision making process. The application of the Ishikawa Diagram (Fishbone Diagram) made it possible to identify the main causes of food waste in the city, categorized into four groups: processes, people, public policies, and infrastructure. This analysis guided the development of more precise corrective actions. The Pareto analysis confirmed the hypothesis that most of the waste (approximately 80%) was concentrated in a few commercial points, with supermarkets being the largest contributors to food waste. This reinforced the need to focus efforts on critical stages of the food supply chain, such as storage, transportation, and environmental education campaigns. Using the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) Cycle as a framework for continuous improvement, it was possible to plan and propose specific actions. The BCG Matrix was employed to categorize the city's initiatives and projects, allowing the identification of which ones are <stars= (high growth, high participation) or <cash cows= (low growth, high participation), to optimize the focus of future investments. To detail the actions, the 5W2H tool was used, which helped define what, why, who, when, where, how, and how much each proposal will cost. Additionally, the implementation of suggestions for future work includes expanding the model to other cities, deepening the analysis of real-time data, and assessing the socioeconomic impact of the proposed solutions. This model aims to inspire other cities to face similar challenges, highlighting the importance of multisectoral collaboration to foster progress in the areas of economy, health, technology, education, and sustainability.