Weather extremes, armed conflicts and economic disruptions are driving more than 300 million people into crisis each year. Humanitarian assistance alone cannot address underlying drivers of hunger. To reduce the scale and impact of future crises, WFP and its partners invest in resilience – helping at-risk populations anticipate shocks, adapt to changing conditions, rebuild after disasters and strengthen livelihoods. We prioritize countries facing the most severe food crises, and work with national governments and local actors to improve food security and nutrition.  

How does WFP support people before a crisis?

WFP works with governments and local partners to anticipate climate shocks by strengthening:  

Using advanced forecasting tools, WFP predicts the impact of floods, droughts and storms, so early action can be taken to protect lives, livelihoods and food security. This saves lives and money: every US$1 invested in anticipatory action yields up to US$7 in avoided losses and added benefits.  

WFP also reduces risk by helping communities build infrastructure such as flood-protection dikes and by improving land and water management through soil and water conservation and water‑harvesting systems.  

What happens during a crisis?

When disasters strike, WFP provides cash, food or vouchers so that families can meet their immediate food needs. At the same time, WFP helps communities restore livelihoods, rebuild infrastructure, and improve access to natural resources and vital services — bridging the gap between emergency response and long-term resilience. WFP also works with governments to activate shock-responsive social protection, enabling faster, more targeted and inclusive assistance through national systems.  

WFP helps governments and communities access predictable, disaster risk finance, including insurance savings, credit and digital financial services. This enables governments to scale up emergency responses and protect food-insecure populations. Since 2017, WFP has protected 16 million people through disaster‑risk‑finance solutions. 

How do we strengthen long-term resilience to crises?

Restoring community infrastructure and degraded land

WFP helps communities rebuild stronger foundations for the future. WFP supports an average of 8.6 million food-insecure people each year, restoring community infrastructure and degraded land that they depend on to feed themselves. WFP helps farmers turn recovery into opportunity, working with smallholder farmers to reduce post-harvest losses and increase access to markets by repairing roads, linking them with buyers and with financial services for savings and loans. 

Providing skills training and market connections

Since 2020, WFP has supported nearly 800,000 individuals across 30 countries with life‑changing skills training and market connections, helping them diversify incomes, buy food for their families and manage risk. 

Developing local knowledge

To enhance the ability of countries to build their own resilience in long term, WFP invests in developing local knowledge through the Livelihood Assets Resilience Academy (LARA) – a partnership of more than 21 national universities. LARA provides practical field training — including on restoring degraded land — to strengthen the skills of practitioners, governments, partners and communities. 

Improving nutrition and school meals

Nutrition is key to people’s ability to withstand shocks. WFP promotes the production and consumption of nutrient-rich foods, enhancing their availability during seasonal gaps. WFP’s Home-Grown School Feeding programmes support resilience by connecting smallholder farmers to schools. This offers a reliable outlet for their agricultural products while providing children with fresh, nutritious meals. 

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