From innovation to impact: The WFP Innovation Forum 2026
The WFP Innovation Forum 2026, held this year as an official side event of the Munich Security Conference, brought together global leaders, partners and innovators to spotlight the solutions needed to build a more food‑secure and resilient world.
“Food security is foundational to peace and global stability. There can be no real security in a world where hundreds of millions of people do not know where their next meal is going to come from. And at the very heart of our mission to address that, to address hunger and create stability, is innovation.” — Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director, World Food Programme
Hosted at the WFP Innovation Accelerator in Munich, the event convened senior voices from the humanitarian sector, governments, the private sector and cutting‑edge technology and development organizations. At a time when humanitarian needs continue to rise and resources remain under immense pressure, the Forum highlighted how innovation can unlock new efficiencies, ensure donor resources go further and strengthen WFP’s ability to reach those most in need.
“Innovation is no longer optional, it is essential. It is essential to bring us forward in the complex circumstances we are all working in. It is key in addressing the challenges we face in our shared mission to achieve a world free from hunger. The WFP Innovation Accelerator plays a crucial role in identifying, nurturing and scaling the most promising solutions to drive meaningful change.” — Jochen Steinhilber, Director‑General for Policy Issues, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Eight WFP‑supported teams presented their breakthrough solutions that are already making a difference, showcasing how emerging technologies, from AI and forecasting tools to digital platforms, bio formulas and innovative finance, are shaping the future of humanitarian and development action.
Below, meet the innovators who took the stage at the WFP Innovation Forum 2026.
Emergency response and operational excellence innovations
1. Anomaly Detection for Assistance Delivery (ADAD)
Ensuring accurate registrations and secure transactions is essential for effective humanitarian assistance. Manual checks can miss subtle anomalies, risking duplication, data errors and misallocation of resources.
ADAD uses AI‑powered anomaly detection to strengthen data assurance across WFP operations:
- Registration Anomaly Detection (RAD): Flags irregularities in beneficiary data and prevents duplication.
- Transaction Anomaly Detection (TAD): Extends anomaly detection to payment workflows, identifying previously unknown anomaly types and adapting to new patterns over time.
By scaling RAD and TAD across operations, WFP can improve fraud detection, enhance financial assurance and increase transparency and efficiency in assistance delivery.
2. Conflict Forecast
Planning humanitarian response in conflict‑affected areas is especially challenging when conditions change rapidly and operational data is limited. Conflict Forecast applies predictive analytics and dynamic programming to generate national and subnational conflict forecasts, enabling earlier, more cost‑effective interventions. Together with WFP’s Early Warning and Emergency Preparedness teams in Somalia, Conflict Forecast aims to generate cost savings of up to USD 1 million per country through a multi model approach.
Key data components are fully open source on the UN Office for Coordinated Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA’s) HDX Signals, a tool to alert humanitarians to deteriorating crises, enabling wider uptake across humanitarian actors.
3. End‑to‑End (E2E) Supply Chain Planning and Optimization
WFP manages one of the world’s largest humanitarian supply chains, but fragmented systems and manual processes can slow critical decisions.
The E2E solution integrates demand forecasting, supply and sourcing plans, inventory insights and route optimization. All into a unified planning ecosystem. With this, WFP can turn expected needs into smarter, continuously updated sourcing and delivery plans. This connected workflow has already generated more than USD 11 million in cost efficiencies, with potential to unlock up to USD 50 million as global deployment accelerates.
4. People Portal
WFP’s traditional registration model relies heavily on field-based, in-person processes that are costly and resource-intensive to run, especially during rapidly evolving emergencies. People Portal replaces this with a self‑service platform where people can easily register for WFP assistance, update information and receive real‑time updates.
The platform features secure log‑ins, multilingual support and duplicate‑prevention tools. In Gaza, 2,015,000 people registered remotely, reducing registration costs from USD 12 to USD 0.50 per household, saving USD 9.4 million and enabling faster assistance in a volatile environment.
5. Jangala
Connectivity is critical for effective humanitarian response, yet many crisis zones and remote areas lack reliable or affordable internet access.
Jangala’s Big Box is a lightweight, briefcase‑sized device that transforms any internet source into scalable, easy‑to‑manage Wi‑Fi — no technical expertise required.
To date, Jangala has deployed 64 Big Box units, providing connectivity to 39 schools, 22 community projects and three emergency teams, serving almost 48,000 people. As a fully open‑source solution, Big Box supports both small field teams and large community‑level deployments.
Resilience innovations
6. Inclusive Risk Financing (IRF)
Communities facing recurrent extreme weather events often struggle with cycles of loss, debt and reduced productivity. WFP’s IRF model provides a market ready solution, combining:
- affordable insurance
- savings and loans
- rapid digital payments
- financial literacy training
- income‑support mechanisms.
In 2024, IRF reached 3.1 million people across 19 countries, delivering USD 250 million in financial protection and USD 41.5 million in payouts, helping households recover faster and avoid harmful coping strategies.
7. Remer
Lebanese farmers face increasing challenges from pests, soil degradation and high input costs. Remer’s Growth, an effective‑microorganism‑based liquid formula, improves soil health and water retention, reducing reliance on pesticides and chemical fertilizers. This cuts fertilizer use by 70 percent, improves crop productivity and soil quality and provides a more affordable alternative to conventional inputs.
In 2025, Remer partnered with the Ministry of Agriculture to promote sustainable practices nationwide. The team is now expanding research and development, with Growth Powder and additional products planned for launch in 2026.
8. School Connect
School Connect strengthens monitoring and accountability in school feeding programmes through simplified digital reporting.
Schools can easily capture:
- food deliveries
- stocks and losses
- attendance
- meal consumption
Data syncs to dashboards and automated reports, enabling real‑time visibility and improved decision‑making.
Since 2020, School Connect has captured data from 11,000+ schools across 25 countries, tracking 350 million+ meals for 3.6 million children. Over the next two years, the team aims to support School Meals Coalition countries, positioning WFP to lead the global digitalization agenda for school feeding by 2030.
Redefining the future of humanitarian response
The WFP Innovation Forum 2026 underscored the critical role of creativity, technology and cross‑sector partnerships in addressing global hunger.
“Innovation does not happen in isolation. It happens when purpose, creativity, and collaboration come together.” — Julia Monar, Director-General for Crisis Prevention, Stabilisation, Peacebuilding and Humanitarian Assistance, German Federal Foreign Office
As humanitarian needs grow more complex, the innovations presented this year, supported by WFP and a global network of partners, point toward a future where assistance is faster, more efficient and more resilient.
“The advance of AI and new technologies represent a window of opportunity. We have the chance to redefine what is possible in humanitarian response.
Tonight we have seen what becomes possible when strong solutions are matched with strong partnerships. From AI and data to locally-led approaches, these solutions show that humanitarian action can be even more efficient, resilient and equitable.” — Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director, World Food Programme
The momentum from this year’s Forum will help shape the next generation of humanitarian and development tools, partnerships and systems, bringing the world one step closer to a hunger‑free future.
Missed the event or want to learn more about the innovation teams? Check out our event webpage.
By Lucy Bloxham
The WFP Innovation Accelerator sources, supports and scales high-potential solutions to end hunger worldwide. We provide WFP employees, entrepreneurs, start-ups, companies and non-governmental organizations with access to funding, mentorship, hands-on support and WFP operations.
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