WFP, CIMMYT Sign Global Pact to Strengthen Food Security and Crisis Resilience
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) have signed a global agreement aimed at improving food security by strengthening humanitarian response and building more resilient agricultural systems.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed Tuesday at WFP headquarters in Rome, establishes a framework for closer collaboration between the two organizations as they respond to growing global food insecurity driven by conflict, climate change, economic instability and supply chain disruptions.
The agreement was signed by CIMMYT Director General Dr. Bram Govaerts and WFP Assistant Executive Director Matthew Hollingworth.
Under the partnership, WFP and CIMMYT will combine humanitarian assistance with agricultural research and innovation to help countries respond to food crises while strengthening long-term resilience in farming and food systems.
“Ending hunger calls for more than delivering food today,” Hollingworth said. “It requires helping people recover, rebuild their livelihoods and restore the agricultural systems they depend on. Through this strengthened partnership with CIMMYT, we are combining WFP’s global operational reach with world-class agricultural science to help communities recover faster, enable self-reliance and build a more secure future.”
Dr. Govaerts said food security requires both emergency response and long-term investment in agriculture.
“Food security doesn’t begin or end with emergency response,” he said. “By bringing together WFP’s humanitarian leadership and CIMMYT’s innovation in seeds, farming systems, market development and nutrition, we’re helping countries move from crisis to resilience while preventing future shocks from becoming humanitarian emergencies.”
The agreement expands an existing partnership between the organizations, including the Boosting Agrifood Systems Resilience (BOOST) project in Sudan, funded by the African Development Bank.
The four-year initiative is expected to support more than 230,000 farming households and produce nearly one million metric tons of cereals and pulses—enough to meet the annual cereal requirements of almost nine million people.
The project will strengthen seed systems, promote climate-resilient farming practices, improve market access and reduce post-harvest losses, helping communities recover agricultural production after years of conflict while reducing reliance on humanitarian aid.
WFP and CIMMYT said the partnership reflects a shared commitment to saving lives during emergencies while helping countries build stronger, more resilient food systems capable of withstanding future crises.
