Benin | World Food Programme

The Republic of Benin is a lower-middle-income country and ranks 173 out of 193 countries on the Human Development Index.

Despite progress, poverty remains prevalent, with 36.2 percent of the population living below the national poverty line. Malnutrition among children remains critical.

Agriculture remains a cornerstone of the economy, accounting for roughly 23 percent of GDP in 2025, employing about 40 percent of the labour force directly and underpinning livelihoods for the majority of rural households.

Rising food, fuel, and input prices, coupled with regional insecurity and climate-related shocks, continue to place pressure on household food security and resilience.

The World Food Programme (WFP) supports the Government of Benin in advancing nationally led solutions to food insecurity and malnutrition while strengthening preparedness for a response to localized shocks.

In response to education and nutrition challenges, the Government has prioritized school meals. In September 2024, in accordance with the agreed roadmap, WFP completed the handover of the programme to the newly established National Agency for Food and Nutrition.

What the World Food Programme is doing in Benin

Emergency preparedness and response: Benin is classified as a country with an increasingly high level of risk due to combined vulnerabilities linked to natural disasters and the spillover of the Sahel security crisis, particularly in the northern regions where security challenges have caused significant displacement and disrupted cross-border trade. As of December 2025, more than 58,000 displaced people – including refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced populations (UNHCR 2025) – are in urgent need of assistance. In response, WFP has scaled up its humanitarian operations by delivering unconditional cash-based transfers alongside targeted nutrition support for vulnerable women and children. WFP also promotes local production of fortified infant flours through women’s groups to enhance nutrition and economic resilience. The programme intends to expand cash-based assistance, adapting to evolving contextual needs.
School meals: Since 2017, WFP has supported the Government of Benin in implementing the National Integrated School Feeding Programme (PNASI), expanding coverage from 31 percent to 75 percent of public primary schools, reaching over 1.4 million children. In September 2024, in line with the agreed roadmap, WFP ensured the successful handover of the programme to the newly created National Agency for Food and Nutrition. WFP continues to provide technical assistance while directly implementing the Integrated School Feeding and Nutrition Project across 399 schools, funded by the Netherlands, with additional support from the Islamic Development Bank to support other 400 schools. The programme adopts a multisectoral approach, integrating education, nutrition, health, hygiene, and local production, and pilots cash-based transfers to enhance sustainability and efficiency.
Smallholder agricultural market support: WFP’s SAMS’ programme in Benin strengthens value chains by linking smallholder farmers to markets. It focuses on three pillars: improving service delivery by farmer organizations, increasing farmers’ production capacity, and creating a supportive market environment. The programme includes Home-Grown School Feeding, cash-based transfers, resilience, climate adaptation, nutrition, and gender-sensitive activities. Over 70 farmer organizations with more than 23,000 members (38 percent are women) have supplied more than 8,100 MT of maize, rice, and beans to WFP. These organizations receive training in good agricultural practices and are equipped with post-harvest tools to meet quality and compliance standards. The proportion of local production in the school meal increased from 24 percent in 2021 to more than 82 percent in 2024 while direct purchases from smallholder farmers increased by more than 800 percent these last two years (2022-2024).
Resilience: WFP supports vulnerable communities in northern Benin, through targeted resilience activities aimed at strengthening their ability to withstand the impacts of the regional crisis. Key activities include the construction and rehabilitation of water management infrastructure, the restoration of degraded ecosystems and watersheds, the development and upgrading of production and post-harvest infrastructure, and the facilitation of knowledge sharing through workshops, webinars, and field visits. Four Community-Based Participatory Planning (CBPP) exercises have been conducted to identify local priorities. WFP is now implementing tailored interventions based on these priorities to enhance community resilience and improve livelihoods through conditional cash transfer.
Capacity strengthening: WFP strengthens the capacities of national and local institutions to facilitate the sustainable transition of the school feeding programme to government ownership. Support includes the development of school feeding legislation and enhancement of food security monitoring and early warning systems, notably through training on the mVAM data collection tool. In partnership with WFP centers of excellence in Abidjan and Brazil, WFP promotes South-South cooperation and best practice exchange. Capacity building extends to partners via innovative online training. Additionally, schools are equipped with agricultural and processing tools to improve nutrition, generate income, and empower women. In 2025, WFP provided equipment for more than US$ 470,000 to 21 Smallholder farmers organizations. WFP also reinforces emergency preparedness and coordination, ensuring adherence to operational standards.
Nutrition: WFP’s nutrition interventions in Benin focus on preventing malnutrition and responding to emergencies through multisectoral approaches, including school-based nutrition education and social behavior change activities. In partnership with the government, WFP delivered integrated emergency nutrition support to displaced persons in northern regions. Capacity building was provided to community nutrition workers, persons living with HIV associations, and health staff to improve nutrition monitoring and promote income-generating activities. WFP also collaborates with local food producers to supply nutrient-rich foods for school feeding, supporting them with training on quality assurance and procurement processes to enhance local nutritious food availability.

Publications

In focus

Chef Christian Abegan lends star power to fighting hunger in Africa

Story | 5 January 2026

Feeding the future: Africa surges ahead on school meals

Story | 10 September 2025

Hunger grows as Sahel crisis spills into coastal West Africa

Story | 7 July 2023

As emergencies multiply, school meals buffer the fallout

Story | 16 September 2022

In photos: African school feeding day

Story | 1 March 2022

Partners and Donors

Government of Benin Kingdom of the Netherlands Federal Republic of Germany Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Choithram International Foundation

King Salman Relief Foundation Global Child Nutrition Foundation WFP Center of Excellence against Hunger in Brazil EDUCO Foundation MTN Foundation Peace Corps Experts Solidaires UNICEF UNAIDS UNFPA WHO UNDP FAO IFAD

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Operations in Benin

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Contacts

Office

Lot 564, Zone Résidentielle, Rue 238-246, Cotonou, République du Bénin
Cotonou
Benin

Phone

+229 21314892

Fax

+229 21315503

Email

WFP.Cotonou@wfp.org

For media inquiries

WFP.Cotonou@wfp.org

What the World Food Programme is doing in Benin

Emergency preparedness and response

School meals

Smallholder agricultural market support

Resilience

Capacity strengthening

Nutrition

Publications

Annual Country Reports - Benin

Developmental Evaluation of Catalyzing Good Food Through School Feeding Programs from November 2022 to April 2025

Evaluation of School Feeding Support Activities in Benin, Cameroon and Senegal from 2022 to 2025

Fill the Nutrient Gap - Western Africa

Summary of evaluation evidence: Home-Grown School Feeding

Partners’ support plans for governments' national commitments on school meals programmes in West Africa