The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced on August 4, 2026, that it has procured and collected over one million kilograms of locally produced rice and pulses from smallholder farmers across Sierra Leone. This significant achievement was revealed during the launch of the 2026/2027 Home-Grown School Feeding year at WFP’s Kissy Warehouse in Freetown. The initiative has injected more than US$900,000 into the local economy through these 2026 purchases, directly benefiting the agricultural sector and rural communities. This procurement specifically supports Sierra Leone's Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, ensuring that locally sourced food reaches schoolchildren across the nation.
WFP Country Director Andrew Odero stated, "The 2026/2027 Home-Grown School Feeding Year is more than the opening of a school meals calendar; it is the opening of a national pathway that connects Sierra Leonean farmers to Sierra Leonean children, strengthens local food systems, keeps value within our communities, and invests in the health, learning and future of the next generation." Mr. Odero emphasized the multi-faceted benefits of the programme, noting its role in fostering sustainable development and food security within Sierra Leone. The WFP's commitment to supporting local farmers and providing nutritious meals shows its broader mission to achieve Zero Hunger. This strategic approach not only addresses immediate nutritional needs but also builds long-term resilience within the agricultural sector, creating a virtuous cycle of production and consumption that benefits the entire nation.
Strengthening Local Food Systems
The programme operates through a collaborative effort, involving the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, alongside other development partners. This collaborative framework ensures a full approach to both agricultural development and educational support. The food collected during 2026 amounts to 21,158 bags, each weighing 50 kilograms, demonstrating the substantial scale of the procurement efforts. This investment has generated market opportunities for smallholder farmers, enhanced rural livelihoods, and stimulated demand for agricultural commodities produced within the country. The creation of reliable markets for farmers is a key component of this strategy, providing a stable income source and encouraging local production. These efforts represent a significant step in strengthening local food systems, ensuring food security, and improving the nutritional well-being of schoolchildren. The collaborative nature of the programme, involving key government ministries and international organizations, ensures that its impact is both broad and deeply integrated into national development goals. This integrated approach is key for achieving sustainable outcomes and for effectively addressing the complex challenges of food security and education in Sierra Leone.
The Government of Sierra Leone has allocated resources enabling the WFP to link farmers with dependable markets. This support also facilitates school meals for approximately 250,000 children across five districts, making a tangible difference in the daily lives of a quarter of a million students. The provision of these meals is key for the children's health, concentration, and overall educational attainment. Financial contributions to the programme come from the Government of Sierra Leone, as well as the Governments of the Federal Republic of Germany, Iceland, and Japan, showing the international commitment to this vital initiative. These contributions are essential for sustaining and expanding the programme's reach and impact. The sustained support from these international partners notes the global recognition of the programme's success and its potential for further positive change. Such diverse funding streams are critical for ensuring the longevity and scalability of the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, allowing it to reach more children and empower more farmers across Sierra Leone.
Previous Year's Success and Farmer Impact
In 2025, the World Food Programme purchased more than 1.95 million kilograms of food directly from Sierra Leonean farmers for the school feeding program. This quantity included over 1.9 million kilograms of rice and more than 50,000 kilograms of pulses, showcasing a diverse procurement strategy aimed at supporting various agricultural outputs. These purchases significantly impacted approximately 22,500 farmers who supplied their produce through smallholder farmer aggregators, demonstrating the programme's wide-reaching benefits across agricultural communities. The WFP's procurement efforts in 2025 injected nearly US$2 million into the rural economy, supporting local agricultural production and livelihoods. This substantial financial infusion played a critical role in bolstering the economic stability of farming households and communities. The success of the 2025 procurement laid a strong foundation for the continued expansion and effectiveness of the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme. The consistent growth in procurement volumes and financial investment from year to year illustrates the increasing effectiveness and positive reception of the programme among both farmers and beneficiaries.
Voices from the Field and Government
The procurement initiative directly supports Sierra Leone's Home-Grown School Feeding Programme. Officials stated the milestone marks a significant step in strengthening local food systems, establishing reliable markets for farmers, and providing nutritious meals to schoolchildren. The intervention additionally supported the Government’s Feed Salone Strategy, aiming to bolster agricultural output and food security across the nation. This alignment with national strategies ensures that the WFP's efforts contribute to broader governmental objectives for development and self-sufficiency. The Feed Salone Strategy is a critical component of Sierra Leone's national development plan, focusing on increasing domestic food production and reducing reliance on imports. This strategic convergence between WFP's initiatives and the government's priorities maximizes the overall impact, fostering a more resilient and self-sufficient food system for Sierra Leone.
Further efforts include the Government's planned launch of the Nourish Salone initiative in December 2026. This forthcoming programme is expected to expand the scope of nutritional support, complementing the existing school feeding efforts. The Nourish Salone initiative is anticipated to address a wider range of nutritional needs, potentially reaching more vulnerable populations beyond schoolchildren. The current ambition for the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme is to reach 2,500 metric tonnes of procured local produce this year. This ambitious target reflects the commitment of all partners to scale up the programme and further enhance its positive impact on farmers, local economies, and the health and education of Sierra Leonean children. The continuous growth of the programme shows a long-term vision for sustainable food systems and improved human capital development in Sierra Leone.