CFAs: Food Systems Resilience and Livelihoods Programme (Cameroon)

Deadline: 17-Sep-2026

The World Food Programme (WFP) supports organizations working to improve food security, livelihoods, nutrition, and climate resilience among food-insecure populations in Cameroon’s Adamaoua and North regions. The program focuses particularly on women, youth, smallholder farmers, and communities affected by climate change through food assistance, technical support, financial inclusion, livelihood development, and stronger local food systems.

About the World Food Programme Support Program

The program aims to strengthen the ability of vulnerable and food-insecure communities in the Adamaoua and North regions of Cameroon to meet their food and livelihood needs while becoming more resilient to climate and economic shocks.

Support combines immediate assistance with longer-term measures designed to improve food production, household incomes, access to finance, nutrition, and local markets.

Women and climate-affected communities receive particular attention because they often face greater barriers to accessing productive resources, financial services, markets, and livelihood opportunities.

Key Objectives of the Program

The initiative focuses on strengthening food security and resilience through several interconnected objectives:

• Improve sustainable food production and productivity.
• Strengthen access to nutritious and diverse diets.
• Expand access to financial and credit services.
• Create income-generating opportunities for vulnerable populations.
• Improve livelihood opportunities for women and youth.
• Strengthen disaster preparedness and resilience to climate change.
• Improve post-harvest management, food handling, and processing.
• Strengthen local food value chains.
• Expand reliable market opportunities for smallholder farmers.
• Improve the efficiency of commercial food supply chains.
• Increase purchases from smallholder farmers.
• Improve access to affordable, safe, and quality food in local markets.

Who Is the Program Designed to Support?

The program focuses on organizations working with food-insecure and vulnerable populations in the Adamaoua and North regions of Cameroon.

Priority groups and beneficiaries include:

• Food-insecure households and communities.
• Women facing livelihood and financial barriers.
• Youth seeking income-generating opportunities.
• Communities affected by climate change.
• Smallholder farmers.
• Subsistence producers.
• Local food-system actors.
• Commercial supply-chain actors.
• Communities involved in local food value chains.

The program is particularly relevant to organizations that can help translate WFP support into practical improvements in food security, livelihoods, resilience, and local food systems.

Food Assistance for Assets and Nutrition Support

One component of the initiative involves nutrition-sensitive Food Assistance for Assets (FFA).

This approach links food assistance with activities that help communities strengthen their productive assets and resilience. The goal is not only to address immediate food needs but also to contribute to longer-term improvements in household and community livelihoods.

Support may therefore contribute to:

• Improved food security.
• Better nutrition outcomes.
• Community assets and productive capacity.
• Greater resilience to climate-related challenges.
• Improved livelihood opportunities.

Support for Disaster Preparedness and Climate Resilience

Climate change can increase food insecurity by affecting agricultural production, livelihoods, natural resources, and access to food.

The program therefore includes technical assistance for disaster preparedness and resilience-building.

Organizations supported through the initiative can contribute to measures that help vulnerable communities:

• Prepare for climate-related and other shocks.
• Strengthen resilience.
• Protect livelihoods.
• Improve food production systems.
• Reduce vulnerability to disruptions.
• Develop more sustainable approaches to food security.

Sustainable Food Production and Food-System Productivity

A major objective is to increase sustainable food production while improving productivity across food systems.

The initiative promotes approaches that can help communities produce sufficient and nutritious food while strengthening the sustainability of their livelihoods.

This includes supporting diversification and productivity across food systems so that households have better access to nutritious diets and communities are less dependent on limited sources of food and income.

Financial Inclusion and Access to Credit

Access to financial services is another important component of the program.

Many vulnerable households and small-scale producers face difficulties obtaining the financing needed to invest in productive activities. The initiative seeks to expand access to inclusive financial services and credit.

This can support:

• Subsistence activities.
• Income-generating activities.
• Small-scale productive investments.
• Livelihood diversification.
• Greater financial autonomy.

Women and youth are particularly important target groups for these opportunities.

Income-Generating Opportunities for Women and Youth

The program aims to help vulnerable populations strengthen their economic independence by creating opportunities to generate income.

Women and youth can benefit from initiatives designed to improve their access to:

• Productive activities.
• Financial services.
• Credit.
• Markets.
• Livelihood opportunities.
• Skills and technical assistance.

Improving economic opportunities for these groups can contribute to stronger household resilience and greater autonomy.

Support for Smallholder Farmers

Smallholder farmers are a major focus of the initiative because they play an important role in local food production and food security.

The program provides support aimed at helping farmers adopt improved and innovative technologies and practices.

Areas of technical support include:

• Post-harvest management.
• Food handling.
• Food processing.
• Improved production practices.
• Access to financial services.
• Market opportunities.
• Connections with local food value chains.

Improved post-harvest practices can help reduce losses and improve the quality and marketability of agricultural products.

Strengthening Local Food Value Chains

The program also supports local food value chains to improve connections between producers, markets, institutions, and consumers.

Local value-chain development can help create stronger opportunities for smallholder farmers while improving the availability of food within local markets.

Areas of relevance include:

• Local food production.
• Food processing.
• Food handling.
• Market access.
• Local procurement.
• School feeding programs.
• Connections between farmers and institutional buyers.

School Feeding and Local Procurement

School feeding programs and local procurement schemes are among the areas supported through stronger local food systems.

Local procurement can create reliable markets for smallholder farmers while helping institutions obtain locally produced food.

This approach can potentially contribute to both:

• Improved livelihood opportunities for farmers.
• Greater availability of nutritious food for local communities.

Support for Commercial Supply-Chain Actors

The initiative also recognizes the role of commercial actors in strengthening food markets.

Targeted commercial supply-chain actors can receive technical assistance to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of food markets and supply chains.

The objective is to strengthen connections between smallholder producers and commercial markets.

Key expected outcomes include:

• Increased purchases from smallholder farmers.
• More efficient food supply chains.
• Better market access.
• Improved availability of quality food.
• Greater access to safe food.
• More affordable food in local markets.

Why the Program Matters

Food insecurity is influenced by more than food availability alone. Limited income, weak market access, climate shocks, poor post-harvest systems, and restricted access to finance can all affect whether households can obtain sufficient and nutritious food.

The WFP-supported approach addresses these challenges through a combination of food assistance, livelihood development, financial inclusion, technical assistance, climate resilience, and market strengthening.

This integrated approach can help communities move from short-term vulnerability toward stronger and more sustainable food and livelihood systems.

How the Program Works

Organizations working with vulnerable communities can contribute to the program through activities that strengthen food security, livelihoods, resilience, and food systems.

Key areas of implementation include:

1. Assessing local needs: Identify food-security, livelihood, climate, market, and financial challenges affecting target communities.
2. Supporting vulnerable populations: Prioritize food-insecure households, women, youth, smallholder farmers, and climate-affected communities.
3. Strengthening food production: Promote sustainable and productive agricultural practices.
4. Improving technical capacity: Support farmers with technologies and practices for post-harvest management, handling, and processing.
5. Expanding financial access: Improve access to inclusive financial services and credit.
6. Creating livelihood opportunities: Develop income-generating activities that can increase household autonomy.
7. Connecting producers to markets: Strengthen reliable market opportunities for smallholder farmers.
8. Developing local value chains: Support local procurement, school feeding, processing, and other food-system activities.
9. Improving commercial supply chains: Provide technical assistance to relevant market actors to improve efficiency and increase purchases from smallholders.

What Strong Program Activities Should Demonstrate

Organizations developing activities under this type of WFP support should clearly demonstrate how their work contributes to food security and resilience.

Strong activities should establish clear links between:

• Food insecurity and proposed interventions.
• Livelihood support and household resilience.
• Women’s economic participation and financial access.
• Youth livelihoods and income generation.
• Smallholder production and market opportunities.
• Climate risks and resilience measures.
• Local procurement and farmer incomes.
• Supply-chain efficiency and food availability.

Common Areas of Impact

The program can contribute to several interconnected areas of development:

• Food security: Improved access to sufficient and nutritious food.
• Nutrition: Greater availability of nutritious diets and nutrition-sensitive assistance.
• Livelihoods: More sustainable income-generating opportunities.
• Financial inclusion: Improved access to financial services and credit.
• Climate resilience: Stronger preparedness and resilience among vulnerable communities.
• Agriculture: Improved production and post-harvest practices.
• Market access: Stronger connections between farmers and buyers.
• Local food systems: More efficient and inclusive value chains.
• Women’s empowerment: Greater access to economic and financial opportunities.
• Youth opportunities: Increased opportunities for productive activities and income generation.

Key Takeaways

• The program focuses on the Adamaoua and North regions of Cameroon.
• It addresses food insecurity, livelihoods, nutrition, and resilience.
• Women, youth, smallholder farmers, and climate-affected communities receive particular attention.
• Support includes nutrition-sensitive Food Assistance for Assets (FFA).
• Technical assistance supports disaster preparedness and climate resilience.
• Smallholder farmers can benefit from improved technologies for post-harvest management, food handling, and processing.
• The program promotes financial inclusion and access to credit.
• Local food value chains, school feeding, and local procurement are important areas of focus.
• Commercial supply-chain actors can receive technical assistance to improve market efficiency.
• A key objective is to increase purchases from smallholders and improve access to affordable, safe, and quality food.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the World Food Programme support program in Cameroon?

It is an initiative supporting organizations working to improve food security, livelihoods, resilience, nutrition, and food systems among vulnerable populations in the Adamaoua and North regions of Cameroon.

Which communities are prioritized?

The program focuses on food-insecure and vulnerable populations, with particular attention to women, youth, smallholder farmers, and communities affected by climate change.

What types of activities are supported?

Activities can include nutrition-sensitive food assistance for assets, disaster preparedness, sustainable food production, livelihood development, financial inclusion, agricultural technical assistance, local procurement, school feeding, and food-market development.

How can smallholder farmers benefit?

Smallholder farmers can receive technical support to adopt improved technologies and practices in post-harvest management, food handling, and processing. The initiative also seeks to improve their access to financial services and reliable market opportunities.

Does the program support women and youth?

Yes. Women and youth are important target groups, particularly for income-generating opportunities, access to financial services, credit, and livelihood development.

What role do commercial supply-chain actors play?

Commercial supply-chain actors can receive technical assistance to improve the efficiency of food markets and supply chains. The goal is to increase purchases from smallholder farmers and improve the availability of affordable, safe, and quality food.

Does the initiative address climate change?

Yes. Climate resilience is an important component of the program. Support includes technical assistance for disaster preparedness and measures designed to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities and livelihoods.

Conclusion

The World Food Programme’s support in Cameroon takes an integrated approach to food security by addressing immediate food needs while strengthening livelihoods, agricultural production, financial inclusion, markets, and climate resilience. By supporting women, youth, smallholder farmers, local food value chains, and commercial supply-chain actors, the initiative seeks to build more resilient and sustainable food systems in the Adamaoua and North regions.

For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.