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The Republic of Benin is a low-income, food–deficit country with an estimated population of 13.7 million, who are predominantly rural. Challenges include food insecurity, malnutrition and gender inequalities.

More than 70 percent of the population depends on employment in the agricultural sector, which accounts for 25 percent of GDP. However, productivity is low, farmlands are small and, since the 2008 crisis, food prices have maintained an upward trend. 

To cope, families are often forced to sell crops at low prices and to reduce the quantity and quality of the food they consume, which further exacerbates food insecurity and malnutrition.

A regional Cadre Harmonisé analysis in March 2024 showed that over 363,700 people (6.4 percent of the analysed population) are in the Crisis phase of hunger. Chronic malnutrition affects 36.5 percent of young children, according to a survey in 2021-2022.

The Government considers school meals to be essential in improving access to primary education and increasing the school retention rate, particularly among girls. 

It has invested US$87 million of national resources in the national integrated school feeding programme to date, entrusting the World Food Programme (WFP) with implementation in over 5,700 public primary schools at the start of the 2023-2024 academic year. 

WFP’s activities in Benin are aligned to the Government’s National Action Programme 2021-2026 (Bénin Révélé) and the National Development Plan of Benin (2018-2025).

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What the World Food Programme is doing in Benin

School meals
Since July 2017, WFP has been supporting the Government of Benin in implementing the National Integrated School Feeding Programme. The programme covers 75 percent of all public primary schools, representing 1.4 million schoolchildren in over 5,700 schools. WFP has worked with the National Agency for Food and Nutrition, established in July 2023, for the successful transfer of the programme to the Government, which completed in in September 2024. WFP will continue direct implementation of school meals in 8 districts across four regions of Benin.
Nutrition
Nutrition-sensitive interventions are part of the school meals programme (nutritional education, promotion of school gardens and fields, monitoring of the nutritional status of schoolchildren, cooking demonstrations). Partnership with the government agency in charge of food and nutrition facilitated a targeted integrated emergency nutrition response, which was conceived to complement cash-based transfers. WFP also supports women living with HIV, by providing them with support for the implementation of income-generating activities such as market gardening and processing of agricultural products. Thus, WFP works with local food producers and processors to ensure supply of nutrient-rich foods such as yellow maize, red cowpea, unpolished parboiled rice, fortified maize flour and infant flours.
Capacity strengthening
WFP strengthens the capacities of local and national institutions to allow transition to national ownership of a sustainable integrated school meals programme. WFP provides support to the Government in the development of a school feeding law and contributes to the management of food security monitoring and early warning, emergency-preparedness systems. We support the Government with training and data collection on food security.

Publications

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Partners and Donors

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

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
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