Apply for Resilience and Food Security Support Programme (Cameroon)

Deadline: 17-Sep-2026

The World Food Programme (WFP) is seeking expressions of interest from organizations to support food security, livelihoods, nutrition, and resilience among vulnerable and food-insecure populations in Cameroon’s Far North region. The initiative places particular emphasis on women, youth, smallholder farmers, and communities affected by climate change.

The program combines food assistance, disaster preparedness, early recovery, sustainable food production, financial inclusion, agricultural support, market development, and stronger local food supply chains to help vulnerable communities become more self-reliant and resilient to climate and other shocks.

About the WFP Call for Expressions of Interest

The World Food Programme is inviting organizations to express their interest in supporting food security and resilience activities in the Far North region of Cameroon.

The call responds to the needs of populations experiencing food insecurity and vulnerability to climate-related and other shocks.

Rather than focusing only on immediate food assistance, the initiative combines short-term support with measures intended to strengthen livelihoods, food production, financial access, markets, and community resilience.

Main Objectives of the Initiative

The WFP initiative aims to strengthen food security and resilience through several interconnected objectives.

Key objectives include:

• Providing timely and adequate support to food-insecure populations.
• Strengthening nutrition-sensitive food assistance.
• Supporting Food Assistance for Assets (FFA).
• Improving disaster preparedness.
• Supporting early recovery.
• Strengthening household self-reliance.
• Building resilience to climate and other shocks.
• Improving sustainable food production.
• Expanding access to financial services.
• Diversifying productivity across food systems.
• Improving access to nutritious diets.
• Strengthening smallholder farmers’ access to technology and markets.
• Improving local food supply chains.

Who Are the Priority Beneficiaries?

The initiative focuses on vulnerable and food-insecure populations in the Far North region of Cameroon.

Particular attention is given to:

• Women.
• Youth.
• Smallholder farmers.
• Climate-affected communities.
• Food-insecure households.
• Vulnerable families.
• Communities exposed to climate and other shocks.

Organizations participating in relevant activities are expected to contribute to improved food security, livelihoods, resilience, and self-reliance among these populations.

Food Assistance for Assets

Nutrition-sensitive Food Assistance for Assets (FFA) is an important component of the initiative.

FFA links food assistance with activities that can strengthen productive assets, livelihoods, and community resilience.

The approach aims to provide timely support to food-insecure populations while also contributing to longer-term improvements in their ability to cope with shocks and become more self-reliant.

Disaster Preparedness and Early Recovery

The initiative also includes technical assistance for disaster preparedness and early recovery.

These measures are intended to help vulnerable populations prepare for and recover from climate-related and other shocks.

Key areas include:

• Disaster preparedness.
• Early recovery.
• Climate resilience.
• Livelihood protection.
• Community self-reliance.
• Recovery from shocks.

Strengthening preparedness and early recovery can help reduce the long-term effects of disruptions on food security and livelihoods.

Sustainable Food Production

The program seeks to strengthen sustainable food production capacity among vulnerable communities.

Improving food production can help households increase their access to food while supporting more resilient local food systems.

The initiative also aims to diversify productivity across food systems so that vulnerable families can have better access to nutritious diets.

Financial Services and Economic Resilience

Access to financial services is another major focus.

Vulnerable households, producers, and other food-system participants can face barriers to financial services that limit their ability to invest in productive activities and strengthen their livelihoods.

The initiative therefore seeks to improve access to inclusive financial services as part of a broader strategy for livelihood development and resilience.

Support for Women and Youth

Women and youth are priority groups within the initiative.

Support can contribute to their participation in productive and livelihood activities while improving access to economic opportunities and financial services.

For women and youth, stronger livelihood opportunities can contribute to:

• Increased self-reliance.
• Greater participation in food systems.
• Improved income opportunities.
• Better access to financial services.
• Greater resilience to climate and economic shocks.

Support for Smallholder Farmers

Smallholder farmers are a central part of the initiative because they contribute significantly to local food production and food security.

The program seeks to provide technical support that enables smallholder farmers to access improved and innovative technologies.

Support areas include:

• Improved agricultural technologies.
• Post-harvest management.
• Food processing.
• Inclusive financial services.
• Reliable market opportunities.
• Local procurement opportunities.
• Participation in school feeding programs.

Improved post-harvest management and food processing can help farmers strengthen the value and marketability of their products.

Access to Local Markets and Procurement Opportunities

The initiative seeks to strengthen market opportunities for smallholder farmers.

Farmers may benefit from opportunities connected to:

• Local markets.
• School feeding programs.
• WFP procurement programs.
• Local food supply chains.
• Commercial buyers.

Improving connections between smallholder farmers and reliable buyers can strengthen farmer livelihoods while increasing the availability of locally produced food.

Support for Commercial Supply Chain Actors

The program also targets commercial supply chain actors.

These actors can receive technical assistance aimed at improving the efficiency of food markets and supply chains.

The initiative seeks to:

• Improve market efficiency.
• Strengthen food supply chains.
• Increase procurement from smallholder farmers.
• Improve connections between producers and markets.
• Increase the availability of quality food.
• Improve access to safe food.
• Support affordable food in local markets.

Strengthening commercial supply chains can therefore benefit both producers and consumers.

Why the Initiative Matters

Food insecurity can result from a combination of factors, including climate shocks, limited livelihoods, weak markets, insufficient financial access, and constraints on agricultural production.

The WFP approach addresses several of these challenges simultaneously.

By combining food assistance with livelihood development, agricultural support, financial inclusion, disaster preparedness, and market strengthening, the initiative seeks to help vulnerable populations move toward greater self-reliance and resilience.

How the Initiative Works

Organizations responding to the call for expressions of interest should consider how their work can contribute to the initiative’s food-security and resilience objectives.

The overall approach can be understood through several stages:

1. Identify vulnerable populations: Focus on food-insecure households and priority groups such as women, youth, and climate-affected communities.
2. Address immediate food needs: Provide timely and adequate support, including nutrition-sensitive food assistance for assets.
3. Strengthen resilience: Support disaster preparedness and early recovery mechanisms.
4. Improve food production: Help communities and farmers strengthen sustainable food production.
5. Improve financial access: Connect vulnerable populations and producers with inclusive financial services.
6. Strengthen smallholder capacity: Provide technical assistance on improved technologies, post-harvest management, and food processing.
7. Connect farmers to markets: Develop reliable market opportunities, including school feeding and WFP procurement channels.
8. Strengthen supply chains: Work with commercial actors to improve food-market efficiency and procurement from smallholders.
9. Improve food availability: Strengthen access to affordable, safe, quality, and nutritious food in local markets.

What Organizations Should Demonstrate

Organizations preparing an expression of interest should clearly connect their proposed activities with the program’s objectives.

A strong concept should demonstrate:

• Understanding of food insecurity in the Far North region.
• Clear identification of vulnerable populations.
• Practical approaches to strengthening resilience.
• Attention to women and youth.
• Climate-resilience considerations.
• Sustainable food production approaches.
• Support for smallholder farmers.
• Access to financial services.
• Market and supply-chain connections.
• Potential contribution to local food systems.
• Clear links between activities and expected outcomes.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Organizations should avoid submitting proposals or expressions of interest that are disconnected from the initiative’s priorities.

Common weaknesses include:

• Focusing only on short-term food distribution without a resilience component.
• Failing to address the needs of vulnerable populations.
• Ignoring women, youth, or climate-affected communities.
• Providing limited information about expected food-security outcomes.
• Failing to explain how smallholder farmers will benefit.
• Ignoring market access and supply-chain development.
• Proposing activities without clear links to sustainable food production.
• Failing to explain how financial inclusion will contribute to livelihoods.
• Overlooking post-harvest management and food processing.
• Not demonstrating how proposed activities can strengthen self-reliance.

Key Focus Areas

The WFP initiative can be summarized through the following focus areas:

• Food security: Support for food-insecure populations.
• Nutrition: Nutrition-sensitive assistance and access to nutritious diets.
• Livelihoods: Opportunities that strengthen household self-reliance.
• Climate resilience: Support for communities affected by climate change.
• Disaster preparedness: Technical assistance to prepare for shocks.
• Early recovery: Support to help vulnerable communities recover.
• Agriculture: Sustainable food production and improved technologies.
• Smallholder farmers: Technical assistance, finance, processing, and market access.
• Financial inclusion: Improved access to financial services.
• Local procurement: Connections with school feeding and WFP procurement programs.
• Supply chains: Improved efficiency and procurement from smallholders.
• Local markets: Greater availability of affordable, safe, quality food.

Key Facts About the WFP Cameroon Initiative

• Organization: World Food Programme (WFP).
• Opportunity type: Call for expressions of interest.
• Geographic focus: Far North region of Cameroon.
• Primary applicants: Organizations.
• Main objective: Strengthen food security, livelihoods, and resilience.
• Priority groups: Women, youth, smallholder farmers, and climate-affected communities.
• Food assistance: Nutrition-sensitive Food Assistance for Assets (FFA).
• Resilience activities: Disaster preparedness and early recovery.
• Agricultural support: Improved technologies, post-harvest management, and food processing.
• Financial focus: Inclusive financial services.
• Market focus: Reliable markets, school feeding, and WFP procurement.
• Supply-chain focus: Increased procurement from smallholder farmers and improved food-market efficiency.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the WFP Call for Expressions of Interest in Cameroon?

It is an opportunity for organizations to support food security, livelihoods, and resilience among vulnerable and food-insecure populations in the Far North region of Cameroon.

Who are the priority populations?

The initiative particularly focuses on women, youth, smallholder farmers, and communities affected by climate change, along with vulnerable and food-insecure populations.

What is Food Assistance for Assets?

Food Assistance for Assets (FFA) is a nutrition-sensitive approach that provides support to food-insecure populations while contributing to the development of productive assets, livelihoods, and resilience.

Does the initiative support smallholder farmers?

Yes. Smallholder farmers can benefit from technical support related to improved and innovative technologies, post-harvest management, food processing, financial services, and reliable market opportunities.

Can farmers access WFP procurement opportunities?

The initiative includes opportunities connected to local school feeding and WFP procurement programs, helping strengthen market opportunities for smallholder farmers.

What support is available for commercial supply-chain actors?

Commercial supply-chain actors can receive technical assistance to improve market efficiency, strengthen supply chains, increase procurement from smallholders, and improve access to affordable, quality, and safe food.

How does the initiative address climate change?

The program supports climate-affected communities through disaster preparedness, early recovery, livelihood strengthening, and measures designed to improve resilience to climate and other shocks.

Conclusion

The World Food Programme’s Call for Expressions of Interest in the Far North region of Cameroon seeks organizations capable of contributing to stronger food security, livelihoods, and resilience among vulnerable populations. The initiative combines immediate food assistance with longer-term investments in sustainable agriculture, financial inclusion, disaster preparedness, early recovery, market access, and food-system development.

By supporting women, youth, smallholder farmers, and climate-affected communities while strengthening local markets and supply chains, the initiative aims to improve self-reliance and build more resilient food systems in the Far North region of Cameroon.

For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.