Armenia has faced numerous challenges in recent years, including the COVID-19 pandemic and clashes along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and inside Armenia. Hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh Region resulted in over 115,000 people refugees fleeing into Armenia in one week in September 2023.

The influx led the World Food Programme (WFP) to provide assistance, including shelter, food, and psychosocial support, to refugees and vulnerable communities.

WFP's efforts in Armenia go beyond immediate relief, focusing on resilient solutions to enhance food security and support local farmers, empower communities, and build government capacities. We prioritize food security with a resilient ’farm to fork’ approach. 

One initiative is the Food Card, which provides cash for food at selected stores for vulnerable people. This activity will be handed over to the Government at a future point. 

The school meals programme in Armenia was nationalized in 2022. WFP will support the expansion of school meals and continue strengthening links to rural development. WFP will support capacity-strengthening efforts to launch a school-meal programme in the capital, Yerevan.

What the World Food Programme is doing in Armenia

Food systems
WFP Armenia increases the availability of, and access to, nutritious, locally produced food. This involves a ’farm to fork’ approach, which emphasizes local production, livelihood investment, water-irrigation improvements, and initiatives in climate-smart agriculture and solar energy. In partnership with the Centre of Humanitarian Demining, WFP facilitates land clearance for agricultural use.
Social protection
WFP supports social assistance activities that address food insecurity and malnutrition while integrating early action and shock-responsive approaches. An example is the Food Card, which allows people to buy food from selected supermarkets. Education in financial literacy and nutrition also forms part of the support.
Social behaviour change
WFP’s project design takes into account behaviour and decision-making, to ensure people’s ownership and engagement in activities. One activity involves children cooking healthy versions of their favourite food.
Climate change
WFP’s projects include climate-proofing of activities, for example by providing access to solar-energy technologies for small and medium-sized enterprises, community buildings and schools. WFP provides communities with drip-irrigation and rainwater-collection systems, and training on soil and water-management techniques, as well as composting.
Nationalization agenda
WFP Armenia seeks to nationalize all solutions in the design phase of activities, through a strong partnership with government ministries and other groups. We pilot food-security approaches and transfer them to communities, civil society or the government. WFP also supports the Government in engaging with other countries, including through South-South and Triangular Cooperation.

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Partners and donors

Achieving Zero Hunger is the work of many. Our work in Armenia is made possible by the support and collaboration of our partners and donors, including:
Armenian National Agrarian University Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) Center for Humanitarian Demining and Expertise European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) European Union

Operations in Armenia

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Contacts

Office

14 Petros Adamyan St, Yerevan 0010, Armenia
Armenia

Phone
+374 1 580538
Fax
+374 1 542741
Email
WFP.Yerevan@wfp.org
For media inquiries
WFP.Yerevan@wfp.org
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