The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has launched the 2026/2027 Home-Grown School Feeding year after procuring more than one million kilograms of rice and pulses from Sierra Leonean smallholder farmers, reinforcing efforts to improve child nutrition and strengthen local agriculture.

The launch took place on August 4 2026,  at WFP’s Kissy Warehouse in Freetown and was held in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and other stakeholders.

According to WFP, the food purchased this year amounts to more than one million kilograms, equivalent to 21,158 bags of 50 kilograms and will be used to provide nutritious meals to schoolchildren while creating reliable markets for locally produced crops.

WFP Country Director Andrew Odero said the initiative benefits both farmers and students by linking local agricultural production to the national school feeding program.

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“The 2026/27 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.”

WFP said the procurement has injected more than US$900,000 into the local economy, improving market opportunities for farmers and supporting rural livelihoods.

Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Conrad Sackie said the program directly benefits both producers and pupils while outlining the government’s goal of expanding local procurement.

“Every one of those bags purchased represents a farmer who chose to plant and harvest, and a child who will sit in a classroom with a full belly and a focused mind. Our ambition is to reach 2,500 metric tonnes this year.”

The agency said the latest procurement builds on progress made in 2025, when it purchased more than 1.95 million kilograms of locally produced food, including over 1.9 million kilograms of rice and more than 50,000 kilograms of pulses. Those purchases supported about 22,500 farmers through smallholder farmer aggregators and injected nearly US$2 million into rural communities in support of the government’s Feed Salone Strategy.

United Nations Resident Coordinator Seraphine Wakana said the initiative demonstrates how collaboration among UN agencies can strengthen national development systems.

“The value of the UN is not simply in what each agency does individually, but in how we combine our expertise to support stronger and more sustainable national systems. Home-Grown School Feeding provides a practical platform for that collaboration.”

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka described the initiative as a practical example of the Feed Salone Strategy in action, highlighting its role in connecting farmers with dependable markets while supporting schoolchildren.

“WFP is the clearest example of what Feed Salone is and can be. It is about multisector partnership and supporting farmers to do what they do best, feed our people. Government has been providing the resources for WFP to link farmers to markets while supporting 250,000 children across five districts.”

Farmers also welcomed the initiative. Isata Feika Sesay, chairlady of the Takeleneh Farmers Association in Kambia and a rice and pulses aggregator, said WFP’s support has encouraged farmers to expand production by providing a guaranteed market.

“The SATAKE milling machine and other support from WFP have given farmers in our community confidence to invest more in production because we know there is a market for what we grow. The income earned is helping families meet their needs, send children to school, and improve their livelihoods.”

She added that the school feeding program has also encouraged more women to participate in farming as a source of economic empowerment.

Representing the Office of the Vice President, Minister of State Manty Tarawalli thanked WFP and its partners for supporting the government’s efforts to provide nutritious, locally produced meals to schoolchildren.

“Today’s event is more than the opening of another school feeding cycle. It is a reaffirmation of our collective commitment to investing in our children, strengthening local food systems, and creating sustainable opportunities for Sierra Leonean farmers.”

Tarawalli also announced that the government plans to launch the Nourish Salone initiative in December 2026 to increase demand for locally produced food, reduce malnutrition, and encourage greater private sector investment in agriculture.

The Home-Grown School Feeding Program receives financial support from the Government of Sierra Leone as well as the governments of Germany, Iceland, and Japan. Officials said the initiative continues to improve nutrition, strengthen education outcomes, expand market opportunities for farmers, and build more resilient local food systems across Sierra Leone.