Nicaragua
- 24.9%
- of the population lives in poverty
- 40%
- of the population lives in rural areas
- 7 million
- population
Nicaragua is a low-income, food-deficit country and one of the poorest in Latin America.
Agriculture is the main livelihood for 73 percent of the rural population, and contributed to 8 percent of the country's GDP in 2023. Food insecurity is linked to climate disasters which ruin crops and restrict access to food, with Nicaragua vulnerable to recurrent events such as droughts, hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes.
Almost a fifth of households live in poverty, and nearly seven percent of people are in extreme poverty.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has been in Nicaragua since 1971, supporting efforts to promote food security, nutrition, livelihood restoration, and sustainable market access. WFP Nicaragua also seeks to build institutional capacity to enhance disaster risk management, social protection systems, and food systems.
What the World Food Programme is doing in Nicaragua
-
Emergency preparedness and response
-
WFP provides technical assistance to the National System for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation, and Response, in risk management, preparedness and emergency response. WFP provides ready-to-eat food kits as a first response in crises. We support the national school feeding programme by providing additional food rations for children in schools, or take-home rations for their families, in areas affected by emergencies.
-
School meals
-
WFP contributes to the National School Feeding Program of the Ministry of Education, providing hot, nutritious meals for 180,000 students. These meals are delivered at 2,500 primary education, preschool and distance-learning centres in rural areas of 47 municipalities within the Dry Corridor – the region most vulnerable to the climate crisis. WFP also supports the installation of water systems and kitchens/storerooms, to improve school meal preparation. A pilot model of diversified school meals, including locally produced fresh food, is set to begin in 2025.
-
Smallholder farmers
-
WFP promotes the development of sustainable food systems for smallholder farmers. We support cooperatives, help farmers improve their economic resilience through crop diversification, and increase their climate resilience through means such as insurance. WFP improves access to new markets by promoting local purchasing for school meals and other programmes. Strategies prioritizing gender equality, female entrepreneurship, scholarships for young women, and leadership schools for female farmers, are part of the capacity-building efforts that WFP provides to farmers and their cooperatives.
-
Service provision
-
WFP provides services in transport and other logistics, procurement, and facility management, as well as technology and telecommunications support, to UN entities and national institutions.
Nicaragua news releases
Go to pagePartners and Donors
Achieving Zero Hunger is the work of many. Our work in the Republic of Nicaragua is made possible by the support and collaboration of our partners and donors, including:
View all
Find out more about the state of food security in Nicaragua
Visit the food security analysis pageOperations in Nicaragua
Contacts
Office
Edificio COBIRSA, 3er. piso, kilómetro 6 1/2 Carretera a Masaya, contiguo a Edificio Claro
Nicaragua
Phone
+505 2278-4982