Looking back at 2024 — Fostering innovation across WFP: Driving impact from the field
As the year draws to a close, we reflect on a year marked by immense challenges, but also progress made possible by innovations supported by the World Food Programme (WFP).
Looking ahead to 2025, the urgency for bold, transformative solutions has never been greater. Climate change, conflict and emergencies continue to threaten food security worldwide, demanding collective action and visionary partnerships.
By enabling innovation teams and ventures, scaling proven approaches, fostering partnerships and encouraging fresh thinking, we are embedding innovation as an organization-wide mindset to better serve those in need.
“Innovation is the key to WFP’s mission, especially in the most challenging contexts. Whether it’s our dedicated staff in country offices or our global partnerships and innovation teams, the transformative solutions we create are driven by the needs of the people we serve. Our work is centered around people and every innovation we champion aims to bring lasting, positive change to their lives.”
Rania Dagash-Kamara,
WFP Assistant Executive Director for Partnerships and Innovation
Here is a look at what we achieved in 2024 and how we are laying the groundwork for an even more transformative 2025:
#1 Strengthening WFP’s innovation ecosystem
WFP’s country offices are the driving force behind innovation, implementing forward-thinking programmes to better reach the people we serve. In 2024, the WFP Innovation Network expanded to include 17 innovation units in country offices, two regional innovation hubs and the global WFP Innovation Accelerator. With 490 Innovation Champions across 165 duty stations, the network fosters a culture of innovation by addressing operational challenges through practical solutions.
In Eastern Africa, WFP’s Regional Innovation Hub supported capacity-building efforts like the IGNITE Innovation Challenge, aligning ventures with local priorities and gaining recognition in OECD research. WFP Tanzania’s Innovation Safari further strengthened internal innovation processes and was successfully adapted for Somalia and soon Kenya.
#2 Promoting efficiency gains in WFP core operations
At the heart of WFP’s operations lies the complex challenge of delivering food and assistance to those who need it most. SCOUT, a system that models WFP’s global supply chain, is key to addressing this challenge. By leveraging advanced mathematical models, optimization techniques and data-driven insights for sourcing and delivery, SCOUT’s implementation is forecasted to save several million US dollars in WFP’s operations, which will be reinvested into more food assistance for people. GeoTar has further enhanced WFP’s ability to reach communities in need by using artificial intelligence (AI) to create detailed vulnerability maps, enabling country offices to precisely allocate resources, even where data is limited.
#3 Harnessing AI and technology for faster emergency response
When disasters strike, swift action is of the essence. In 2024, WFP advanced its emergency response capabilities by leveraging AI and technology, ensuring our teams can move faster and more effectively when every second counts.
WFP’s newly launched AI Sandbox is at the heart of these efforts, offering a secure environment to test and refine AI solutions before scaling them. For example, SHAPES evaluates the impact of multiple shocks to better tailor food security responses. By promoting collaboration, prioritizing ethics and responsible use and enabling controlled experimentation, the AI Sandbox transforms advanced technology into practical tools that save lives and support communities globally.
#4 Advancing climate action, food security and smallholder resilience
Photos: WFP/Benjamin Härer
As climate challenges intensify, WFP is helping vulnerable communities adapt through targeted initiatives. In 2024, together with the Adaptation Fund, the Climate Adaptation Innovation Accelerator Programme welcomed the first of four global cohorts, comprising ten innovations from Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, to the Innovation Bootcamp, part of a five-year, US$10 million initiative to build lasting resilience.
At the same time, WFP continued strengthening food security and supporting smallholder farmers. The Farm to Market Alliance improved access to essential tools, markets and resources through Farmer Service Centers, working alongside agripreneurs, cooperatives and agro-shops. Meanwhile, Sanku partnered with 1,256 mills in Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia to provide fortified flour for 15.8 million people in 2024 and advance its mission to end malnutrition. Through such efforts, WFP addresses immediate nutritional needs while fostering long-term, climate-smart resilience.
#5 Empowering communities through innovative finance and inclusion
Innovation continues to break barriers to financial access. The WFP Innovation BRIDGE in collaboration with UNCDF is pioneering ways for WFP to support impact-driven businesses with loans and guarantees. Its first recipient, Nilus, delivers nutritious food at 40 percent below market prices, saving 650,000 low-income individuals an average of 22 percent and empowering women-led community networks to strengthen local food systems.
In Afghanistan, HesabPay has enabled over 13,000 people to access secure digital financial services. In a country shaped by decades of conflict and a challenging environment, HesabPay replaces traditional cash assistance with digital accounts, allowing recipients to redeem aid safely and conveniently at local merchants.
#6 Catalysing innovation through strategic partnerships and collaboration
This year, we deepened partnerships to boost WFP’s innovation impact. Increased funding from the Bavarian Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism will advance post-harvest loss innovations for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia, while the Government of Luxembourg sponsored WFP’s development of scalable AI solutions for humanitarian actions in collaboration with CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) and LIST (Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology). Austria expanded its support in key innovation areas, including climate-smart agriculture and gender equality, addressing critical challenges through collaborative efforts alongside existing innovation partnerships.
Photos: WFP/Benjamin Härer, WFP/David Zahrobsky
We also strengthened private-sector partnerships to amplify WFP’s impact in 2024. The John Deere Foundation supported our smallholder farmers portfolio, benefiting 1.7 million farmers, and contributed to the rollout of WFP’s Innovation Strategy, set to launch in early 2025. Through our collaboration with Google.org, the Humanitarian Ventures Accelerator Programme helped ten ventures scale tech solutions for emergency contexts, with Google engineers providing expertise to optimize WFP operations. Additionally, a renewed partnership with BASF Stiftung will support Ethiopian farmers through a combination of innovative post-harvest loss and climate risk insurance solutions in 2025.
#7 Fostering humanitarian collaboration across and beyond the UN system
In 2024, we supported innovative approaches to achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals, working with and beyond UN networks to expand our collective impact. The INITIATE programme, co-managed with UNHRD and WHO, enhances global emergency health responses through an exemplary collaborative approach. Over 150 partners gathered in Accra, Ghana, for a simulation testing the final prototype of an infectious disease treatment module, aligning strategies to manage complex crises.
Meanwhile, the FARID programme, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, extended its health camp model to 21 districts, reaching over 400,000 beneficiaries in access-compromised areas. WFP also partnered with the World Bank to launch the Food Systems Global Accelerator Programme, designed to scale local, high-impact food systems solutions. By relying on human-centered design and activating a diverse ecosystem of partners, we accelerated progress across healthcare access, nutrition and emergency preparedness.
#8 Taking innovation to the next level in 2025
As we enter 2025, our focus remains on improving lives through impactful innovation. We will intensify efforts to scale proven solutions, develop new breakthroughs, and strengthen collaboration with our partners. By fostering a culture where fresh thinking thrives, we aim to tackle challenges with creativity and determination. None of this progress would be possible without the unwavering dedication of our WFP colleagues, partners, innovators and supporters, each playing a vital role in creating meaningful solutions.
At its core, innovation is about people and together, we will continue turning challenges into opportunities for hope and progress.
Warm regards,
The WFP Innovation Accelerator team
The WFP Innovation Accelerator sources, supports and scales high-potential solutions to end hunger worldwide. We provide WFP staff, entrepreneurs, start-ups, companies and non-governmental organizations with access to funding, mentorship, hands-on support and WFP operations.
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