Niger | World Food Programme

Niger is a landlocked country in the Sahel. With nearly 80 percent of its population living in rural areas, soil degradation and limited access to arable land and water are major drivers of food insecurity. With erratic rainfall, rising temperatures, desertification, and frequent droughts and floods, Niger loses nearly 100,000 hectares of productive land each year.

Multiple, interconnected crises have eroded communities' resilience, leaving millions in acute need. Persistent conflict, climate shocks, economic instability continue to exacerbate humanitarian needs, particularly in regions where livelihoods have been severely weakened by recurrent shocks.

About 2.2 million people are acutely food insecure in Niger. About 1.5 million children suffer from moderate acute malnutrition and 400,000 from severe acute malnutrition.

The Government remains committed to its national development priorities, which aim to reduce poverty and food insecurity while building climate resilience through sustainable agricultural development.

The World Food Programme (WFP) provides both short-term relief for vulnerable communities and long-term solutions through its integrated resilience programme and social protection systems. WFP works in partnership with the Government, UN agencies and civil society organizations.

What the World Food Programme is doing in Niger

Emergency preparedness and response: WFP provides vital food and nutrition assistance to crisis-affected people, including internally displaced people, refugees and their host communities, as well as to migrants and severely food-insecure households. WFP also invests in extreme-weather preparedness by engaging communities in planning, readiness and anticipatory actions, in response to events like droughts and floods. In 2025, WFP’s crisis response initially targeted over 1.5 million people through food or cash and voucher transfers. However, due to a huge funding shortfall, only around one third of this planning has been prioritized, leaving nearly 900,000 vulnerable people without vital assistance.
Adaptative social protection: WFP works with the Government, the World Bank, UNICEF and other partners to strengthen a nationally led, shock-responsive social protection system. WFP supports the design and scale-up of adaptive social protection programmes that reach vulnerable populations before, during and after crises. Through regular cash transfers complemented by shock-responsive components, WFP helps protect livelihoods, reduce negative coping strategies, and address food and nutrition insecurity. WFP also strengthens national capacities, such as the social registry and early-warning mechanisms to ensure propmt, targeted responses that build long-term resilience.
Climate-sensitive livelihoods and asset creation: WFP helps vulnerable communities build resilient livelihoods through sustainable ecosystem and resource management. WFP supports communities with land and pond restoration, as part of the integrated resilience programme. Since 2014, more than 317,000 hectares of degraded land have been restored, and more than 12 million trees planted. All of this increases the space available for agriculture and livestock. WFP works with institutions like the National Meteorological Department to help vulnerable communities prepare for climate risks through anticipatory actions, aiming to raise awareness and improve access to weather services. We also supports communities with cash and insurance protection during extreme weather events.
Support for smallholder farmers: WFP organizes training for smallholder farmers and uses community radio to increase access to key information that facilitates production, storage and links to local markets, in order to increase production. This approach also allows smallholder farmers to improve their business skills and access markets to sell their produce. WFP also buys local produce for its school meals programme, food and nutrition assistance operations. Since 2012, WFP has bought nearly 27,000 metric tons from smallholder famers cooperatives. This has contributed to meeting local food needs while boosting farmers' incomes.
Nutrition: WFP plays a key role in preventing and treating malnutrition through its emergency and resilience programmes, focusing on children aged 6 to 59 months and pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls. We support health centres with screening and nutritional products. WFP also promotes community-based nutrition by placing caretakers, especially mothers, at the heart of learning and rehabilitation centres. Through peer-support groups, mothers engage in awareness sessions and cooking demonstrations to prepare nutritious meals using locally available, affordable food. The goal is to strengthen community support, reduce travel and dependence on imported foods, and boost local supply and demand.
School meals: WFP supports Niger's efforts to improve access to education for children, mainly girls. Through our school meals programme and scholarship initiative for adolescent girls, WFP ensures that over 300,000 schoolchildren receive hot meals, and more than 35,000 girls receive cash assistance to remain in school, including those living in areas affected by conflict. WFP also helps smallholder farmers provide food for home-grown school feeding.

Publications

In focus

Hunger crisis threatens West and Central Africa as lean season looms

Story | 8 May 2025

In crisis-hit parts of Africa, WFP school meals offer a vital lifeline to kids - and their families

Story | 28 February 2025

Communities power up their food security across Africa

Story | 23 January 2025

'Nothing left' – Floods leave trail of hunger in West and Central Africa

Story | 26 September 2024

As Niger’s men emigrate, women work to outwit a changing climate

Story | 18 June 2024

Hunger and malnutrition surging across West and Central Africa, says report

Story | 12 April 2024

Partners and donors

Achieving Zero Hunger is the work of many. Our work in Niger is made possible by the support and collaboration of our partners and donors, including:

Canada European Union France Germany Japan

Luxembourg Monaco Norway Spain Switzerland UN CERF USAID Private Donors Other Strategic and Implementing Partners Denmark Italy Russia Sweden United Kingdom

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Operations in Niger

Niger country strategic plan (2020 - 2025)

NE02 - Country Strategic Plan (CSP)

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Contacts

Office

Rue du Fleuve, Niamey, Niger
Niamey
Niger

Phone

+227 2072 2320/2726/5890/5891/5892

Fax

+227 2072 3041

Email

niger.information@wfp.org

For media inquiries

niger.information@wfp.org

What the World Food Programme is doing in Niger

Emergency preparedness and response

Adaptative social protection

Climate-sensitive livelihoods and asset creation

Support for smallholder farmers

Nutrition

School meals

Publications

Annual Country Reports - Niger

Supporting Social Protection Systems in the Sahel: a joint project between UNICEF and WFP (Project Summary)

Fill the Nutrient Gap - Western Africa

Building and maintaining social protection systems through a twin-track approach

2024 Anticipatory Action Activations

Delivering shock-responsive social protection in the Sahel: Activating the twin-track approach in the face of political disruption (Lessons from Niger)