2012

In July 2012, the 17th Ordinary Meeting of the CPLP Council of Ministers approved the Declaration on the CPLP and the Challenges of Food and Nutritional Security, according to the conclusions of the 5th Meeting of CPLP Ministers of Agriculture and Food Security, in Luanda, in June 2012. This Luanda meeting recognised the creation and entry into operation of the CPLP Permanent Technical Secretariat for Food and Nutritional Security (STP-SAN CPLP) and recommended creating the CPLP Food and Nutritional Security Council (CONSAN-CPLP) and respective Statutes.

2015

The Facilitation Mechanism for Civil Society Participation in the CONSAN (MSC-CONSAN) emphasised the importance of "building capacities to promote sustainable production models based on agroecology through knowledge exchange between CPLP countries" during the First Forum on Family Farming and Food and Nutrition Security of the CPLP (FAFSAN I), in Sao Tome and Principe. MSC-CONSAN also proposed the creation of a Regional Training Center to implement the decisions and recommendations of the CONSAN-CPLP on this topic.

Following this process, the 1st Extraordinary Meeting of the CONSAN-CPLP, held in Dili - East Timor, in November, "welcomed the creation, in Sao Tome and Principe, of a Training Center and technology transfer network to support capacity building for sustainable family farming in the CPLP." MSC-CONSAN and its Secretariat, the Non-Governmental Organisation ACTUAR, were appointed responsible for coordinating the process, with the support of the CPLP Executive Secretariat and FAO.

2017

Other commitments within the scope of the CPLP reinforced the importance of the constitution of the Center and brought new elements to the project. The first is the Guidelines for the Support and Promotion of Family Agriculture in the Member States of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries, approved at the II Extraordinary Meeting of the CONSAN-CPLP, in June 2017, in Brasília – Brazil.

2018

During the High-Level Meeting on Family Farming in the CPLP (RANAF), the Lisbon Charter for the Strengthening of Family Farming was signed in February. This political document, signed by all members and participants in the CONSAN-CPLP (including Social Participation Mechanisms), the Executive Secretary of CPLP, and the Director-General of FAO, endorses and supports the decision to create the Center and expresses the commitment of the Member States and representatives of civil society, the private sector and academia to "develop the debate on agroecology and other modes of sustainable agriculture and promote their institutional recognition, through specific public policies and actions to raise awareness and build capacity” (Lisbon Charter, 2018).

2019

In July 2019, the International Forum "Relevant Territories for Sustainable Food Systems" (FISAS) was held in the municipality of Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal.  Representatives of governments, civil society, the private sector, local authorities and universities, and research institutions recognised the advances made under the CPLP Food and Nutrition Security Strategy.

In December, there was a seminar to present and discuss the results of the characterization of family farming in the CPLP to make a joint publication with the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), the Special Secretariat for Family Farming and Agrarian Development (SEAD), and FAO. To better understand the specifics of each country, the study was carried out by national experts in each CPLP Member State.

2020

Start of activities of the Training Center for Sustainable Family Agriculture in Sao Tome and Principe and on-line.