The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has procured and collected more than one million kilograms of locally produced rice and pulses from smallholder farmers across Sierra Leone to support the country’s Home-Grown School Feeding Programme.
The achievement was announced on August 4, 2026, during the launch of the 2026/2027 Home-Grown School Feeding year at WFP’s Kissy Warehouse in Freetown.
The programme is being implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and other development partners.
According to WFP, the food collected in 2026 is equivalent to 21,158 bags weighing 50 kilograms each. The milestone represents a significant step in efforts to strengthen local food systems, create reliable markets for farmers and provide nutritious meals to schoolchildren.
WFP Country Director, Andrew Odero, described the initiative as an important national investment connecting agricultural production with children’s education, health and development.
“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,” Andrew Odero said.
WFP disclosed that more than US$900,000 has so far been injected into the local economy through the 2026 purchases. The investment has created market opportunities for smallholder farmers, improved rural livelihoods and increased demand for locally produced agricultural commodities.
The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Conrad Sackie, said every bag of food purchased represents benefits for both farmers and schoolchildren.
“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,” he stated.
The latest achievement builds on the progress recorded in 2025, when WFP purchased more than 1.95 million kilograms of food from Sierra Leonean farmers. The quantity included over 1.9 million kilograms of rice and more than 50,000 kilograms of pulses.
Those purchases benefited approximately 22,500 farmers working through smallholder farmer aggregators and injected nearly US$2 million into the rural economy. The intervention also supported the Government’s Feed Salone Strategy, which seeks to increase agricultural production, reduce food imports and strengthen national food security.
United Nations Resident Coordinator, Seraphine Wakana, highlighted the importance of cooperation among UN agencies, Government institutions and development partners in building sustainable national 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,” Seraphine Wakana said.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka, described the programme as a practical demonstration of the Government’s Feed Salone vision.
“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,” he said.
Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka added that the Government has provided resources for WFP to connect farmers to reliable markets while supporting school meals for approximately 250,000 children across five districts.
The Home-Grown School Feeding Programme provides farmers with both economic opportunities and the confidence to increase investment in agricultural production. By creating an assured market, the programme encourages farmers to expand cultivation, improve productivity and participate more actively in the national food supply chain.
Isata Feika Sesay, Chairlady of the Takeleneh Farmers Association in Kambia and a major aggregator of rice and pulses, said WFP’s assistance has transformed opportunities for farmers in her community.
“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,” she said.
“The income earned is helping families meet their needs, send children to school and improve their livelihoods.”
Isata Feika Sesay added that the school feeding programme has created dependable market opportunities and encouraged more women to participate in farming as a pathway to economic independence and empowerment.
Minister of State in the Office of the Vice President, Manty Tarawalli, thanked WFP and its partners for their continued support towards ensuring that children have access to safe, nutritious and locally produced school meals.
“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,” she stated.
Manty Tarawalli also announced that the Government would launch the Nourish Salone initiative in December 2026. The initiative is expected to increase demand for locally produced food, reduce malnutrition and stimulate private-sector investment in agriculture.
Home-grown school feeding has continued to demonstrate the importance of connecting smallholder farmers to stable and reliable markets. Local food procurement helps to strengthen food security, improve pupils’ concentration and educational outcomes, and stimulate economic activity in farming communities.
The programme receives financial support from the Government of Sierra Leone, as well as the Governments of the Federal Republic of Germany, Iceland and Japan.
WFP and its partners said they remain committed to feeding schoolchildren, creating sustainable opportunities for farmers and building stronger and more resilient local food systems across Sierra Leone.
