Foraging and Consumption of Cerrado Biome Species in the Brasilia Alternative Urban Food System

Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, is considered a park-city, precisely because it is heavily wooded and has a large population of fruit trees—both native to the Cerrado and exotic. In this sense, our chapter seeks to understand how initiatives involving foraging of native, exotic, neglected and underutilized species in natural areas or agroforestry systems have contributed to the consolidation of alternative urban food systems, as well as to encourage greater access to green areas to carry out the practice of foraging in the city of Brasília. The text presents a brief theoretical approach on urban foraging and alternative urban food systems, followed by the context of valuing local biodiversity in restaurants and school meals to promote conservation in the Cerrado, as well as a description of urban and peri-urban initiatives of foraging native and exotic species, such as an application to map fruit trees and a plan for planting trees launched by the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement. This set of innovative initiatives demonstrates the potential for urban food systems transformation toward more sustainable and inclusive practices, where foraging for food is an important and possible practice that must be stimulated and supported by public policies and by the society.