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Overview
Located in the Central American Dry Corridor, El Salvador is heavily affected by prolonged droughts and torrential rains.
Recurrent and adverse weather conditions often affect crops, limiting efforts to reduce poverty and food insecurity [1].
Crime and violence undermine socioeconomic development and contribute to forced migration.
In a joint effort with the Government, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions, WFP finalized the implementation of its Country Strategic Plan (CSP) 2017-2022 in June 2022. This Annual Country Report covers the final six months of the CSP from January to June 2022. The CSP included six strategic outcomes focusing on the access of vulnerable households to social protection; increased productivity for smallholder farmers; increased resilience to climate change; assistance to people affected by disasters; capacity strengthening of government institutions, and on-demand service provision for the humanitarian community.
During the reporting period, WFP reached a total of 52,585 direct beneficiaries, 53 percent of whom were women and girls. WFP delivered an integrated response to assist vulnerable populations (including people with disabilities) to address immediate humanitarian needs incorporating gender and nutrition-sensitive activities while contributing to early recovery.
Considering the slow post-pandemic economic recovery combined with a deep inflationary crisis, WFP increased its crisis response funding needs for the first half of 2022. Overall, WFP mobilized 78 percent of the required resources to provide food and nutrition assistance for crisis-affected households.
Moreover, WFP contributed to protection and conflict prevention by empowering youth as agents of change, thereby enabling a transition towards recovery, reconstruction and development. Through WFP’s youth vocational training programme, 150 youngsters from impoverished human settlements at high risk of becoming victims of violence were reached. They received technical training and benefited from job placement in the private sector. Thanks to the proven success of this programme, WFP got the government’s engagement to scale up in the west and east of the country.
WFP also improved market access for producers by strengthening their organizations’ capacities and ability to do business in beekeeping, aquaculture and gastronomy. Thanks to this, from January to June 2022, 342 smallholders boosted their revenues by selling 322 mt of staple grains in formal markets [2]. In addition, WFP developed a micro-insurance mechanism that reached 10,720 smallholders, 46 percent of whom were women. This initiative helped them invest in disaster risk reduction to protect their livelihoods and production.
At the same time, WFP supported women entrepreneurs, strengthening their capacities in marketing and associativity.
This initiative increased their economic independence through more robust and sustainable business management, and increased their access to insurance and financial services.
Overall, WFP increased its footprint by expanding activities and injecting USD 1.5 million into the local economy through cash-based transfers for beneficiaries across all WFP operations. In all activities, WFP contributed to protection and was accountable to its beneficiaries by involving them in decision-making, such as selecting the modality of assistance, and by ensuring their access to a community feedback mechanism.
As part of its national and local capacity-strengthening efforts, WFP contributed to informed and evidence-based decision-making through initiatives such as (i) real-time monitoring of the food security situation and remote data collection; (ii) comprehensive analysis of the drivers and implications of migration in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras; (iii) data collection to assess students’ perception on Biofortik [3]; among others.
In addition, WFP influenced strategic decision making, policies and programmes through its involvement in: the inter-ministerial roundtable, comprising seven ministries; the monthly Food Security and Nutrition Working Group led by the Office of the First Lady to contribute to the national policy Grow Together for children aged 0-7 years; and the Scaling Up Nutrition Business Network to raise awareness and investment in malnutrition prevention.
In conclusion, the final stage of WFP’s CSP 2017-2022 ended with encouraging results across all outcomes, therein contributing to Sustainable Development Goals 2 (Zero Hunger) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) [4].
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