Armenia

To meet the growing food security needs of populations affected by shocks, WFP provides emergency food assistance and took part in the formulation of the Armenian Inter-Agency Response Plan. WFP provides services to the Government and other agencies for procurement of food and non-food items on request. In 2020, WFP also supported the procurement of urgent medical supplies and equipment as part of the COVID-19 response.

Since 2010, WFP has been providing daily nutritious meals to 100,000 children through its school feeding programme, with the aim to improve the food security of children, contribute to their human capital development and invest in local markets through direct purchases of food. In 2020, WFP launched the transformative school feeding model to integrate school and community-based food productions, create job opportunities and provide training. Throughout the pandemic, WFP continued to provide food assistance to meet the needs of school children and their families.

WFP supports smallholder farmers and agribusinesses to enhance the quality and quantity of nutritionally diversified food via investments in machineries, know-how and green technologies. Through its engagement in the production, processing, marketing and supply of food products, WFP’s goal is to increase the availability and accessibility of nutritious food in markets at affordable prices and to create income-generating opportunities.

To support health and nutrition, WFP analyzed dietary habits to inform nutrition-based Social Behavior Change Communication Campaigns and to improve nutrition awareness within the population, including schoolchildren. WFP provides support for research and evaluations that can contribute to the formulation of government policies and activities relating to nutrition and food security.

Due to the country’s vulnerability to shocks, WFP strengthens resilience by establishing food response mechanisms, creating staging facilities and supporting emergency preparedness efforts by the Government, as well as national and international actors.

All WFP activities involve elements of capacity strengthening and handover of WFP’s investments to the Government or communities. This will contribute to promoting food and nutrition security and achieving Zero Hunger in Armenia by supporting the establishment of government-owned safety nets addressing food security, nutrition and equitable development, as well as capacity assistance to the National Statistical Committee to include food security and nutrition tools into national surveys and assessments.