Reports
Year in Review 2022
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Our work in 2022
We are innovation enablers creating impact at scale.
And we know when we are creating impact at scale when…
BMGF FARID Workshop. Mombasa, Kenya, December 2022. © WFP/Gonzalo Rodino.
...a venture doubles the number of people reached after participating in one of our acceleration programmes
Smallholder farmer Mukakarisa Blandine joined a small group in a cooperative to work together to be able to buy fertilizer for her crops
...a female maize farmer in southern Rwanda is receiving affordable and ethical loans that allows her to invest in her crops and increase her yields
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...WFP staff across the world become agents of change, by learning various innovation approaches and are equipped to assess and support innovation from their duty stations
Innovations in 88 countries and territories
  • WFP Innovation Accelerator
  • Innovation Hubs
  • SDGx Portfolio
  • Zero Hunger Portfolio
Afghanistan
openFN, SKAI, CODA, Optimus
Algeria
Shezlong
Angola
SMP Plus, Optimus
Argentina
Nilus
Armenia
Armenia Project, SMP Plus, H2Grow
Austria
#USTOO
Bangladesh
simprints, openFN, Retail in a Box (RIAB), Log:ie, Building Blocks, PIT,R4
Bhutan
SMP Plus
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
openFN
Botswana
Vaxiglobal, mDREET
Brazil
Zenysis, openFN
Burkina Faso
PIT, R4
Burundi
H2Grow
Cambodia
openFN,Agri House (Cricket house), Log:ie, Prism
Cameroon
Optimus
Central African Republic (the)
PIT
Chad
PIT, H2Grow
China
Clear Plate
Colombia
MISION LIAS, Ancestral Markets, Log:ie, Empact, Optimus
Congo (the) (also referred as Congo Brazzaville or RoC)
Context Insights, Optimus
Côte d'Ivoire
STRIATA
Democratic Republic of the Congo (the)
simprints, openFN, STRIATA, Optimus
Dominican Republic (the)
SMP Plus
Ecuador
openFN
Egypt
Shezlong, Dalili
El Salvador
Kitchen In a Box (KIAB), R4
Eswatini
Optimus
Ethiopia
Zenysis, Dimagi, simprints, openFN, Voice-to-text, Optimus, R4, SMP Plus, H2Grow
Fiji
R4
Gambia (the)
DARTS
Germany
UN Digital ID, Dalili
Ghana
Flare, Talamus, medtrack, simprints, RAMANI - CHEETAH, PIT
Guatemala
openFN, IBISA - Formentera, School Feeding & Management App (SFMA), Nilus, R4
Haiti
Clean Cooking Haiti, plugPAY, Log:ie, Optimus, R4
Honduras
Log:ie
India
Dimagi, CHIP (Kushi Baby), simprints, openFN, M'Care Compass, Annapurti (GrainATM), Takachar, Take Home Rations, Science for Society(S4S)
Indonesia
Prism
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
DARTS, Optimus
Iraq
Our UN. Our Culture, Log:ie, Empact, Dalili
Italy
Top Secret Helpline, DARTS, Geotar
Jordan
SMP Plus, Building Blocks, PIT
Kenya
pamoja Initiative, Flare, mDREET, Sun Buckets, openFN, STRIATA, agriBORA - Hatua, Boomitra, Impact AI,Toothpick, Agsol, Community Inclusion Currencies, Farm to Market Alliance, H2Grow Assets Based Loans, Empact, Dalili, Sanku, R4, H2Grow
Kiribati
simprints
Lebanon
Context Insights, Empact, Dalili, Optimus, PIT
Lesotho
Optimus
Liberia
Health Pass (Ona), Optimus
Libya
Shezlong, Dalili, H2Grow
Madagascar
SMILE, Log:ie, Optimus, R4
Malawi
simprints, SoilWatch - SoILPRO, SheCan, Log:ie, Optimus, R4
Mali
Ignitia, PIT
Rwanda
SheCan, Meza, AflaSight, Farm to Market Alliance, PHL Venture
Mongolia
Prism
Morocco
Shezlong
Mozambique
Zenysis, simprints, STRIATA, OxEO - Novel Hydrological Drought Index, Arable, Retail in a Box (RIAB), PHL Venture, Optimus, SMP Plus, PIT, R4
Myanmar
Optimus
Nepal
Timely Logistics, Log:ie
Nicaragua
R4
Niger (the)
SoilWatch - SoILPRO
Nigeria
myPaddi, Gerocare, Lifestore Healthcre, mDREET, Talamus, Cold Hubs, openFN, M'Care Compass, STRIATA, SMP Plus, PIT, H2Grow
Oman
Dalili
Pakistan
Barbershops on Inclusion and Diversity in the Workplace, Zenysis, VaccinateHers, Chakki, Bioanalyt, H2Grow
Panama
Top Secret Helpline
Peru
Top Secret Helpline, SheCan, Producers Direct (Digital Cooperatives), Nilus, PIT
Rwanda
Farm to Market Alliance, PHL Venture
Saudi Arabia
Dalili
Senegal
Dimagi, Optimus, R4
Sierra Leone
STRIATA, Log:ie
Somalia
PIT
South Africa
Talamus, Zenysis, Dimagi, Health Pass (Ona), openFN, STRIATA, Shezlong
South Sudan
Shezlong, Sustainable Fuel for Cooking, Cockpit, Retail in a Box (RIAB), CODA, Log:ie, PHL Venture
Sri Lanka
Prism, SMP Plus
Sudan (the)
Dalili, PIT
Switzerland
ACT, #RESPECT CAMPAIGN
Syrian Arab Republic (the)
Dalili, Optimus, PIT
Tajikistan
CODA
Thailand
openFN
Tunisia
Last Mile Ecosystem
Turkey
Empact
Uganda
Rocket Health, mDREET
United Arab Emirates (the)
Dalili
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the)
simprints,SMILE
United Republic of Tanzania (the)
Shezlong, mDREET, Health Pass (Ona), simprints, STRIATA, Imara Tech, Farm to Market Alliance, Sanku, Optimus
United States of America (the)
#UNA IDEA, Zenysis, Dimagi, Health Pass (Ona), openFN, STRIATA, Sun Buckets
Yemen
Digital Humanitarian Response (SecDev), Dimagi, FamPred, Dalili, Optimus, H2Grow
Zambia
Zenysis, Health Pass (Ona), STRIATA, SheCan, plugPAY, Zambia Food Dryers, Farm to Market Alliance, PHL Venture, Optimus, R4, H2Grow
Zimbabwe
Vaxiglobal, mDREET, Talamus, simprints, OxEO - Novel Hydrological Drought Index, SoilWatch - SoILPRO, Mushroom IFPS, Log:ie, Optimus, R4
State of Palestine (the) *
Dalili, H2Grow
Global
AHEAD, GDAI, Blockchain to Save and Change Lives Call For Applications, WFP Innovation Bridge, Cloud to Street, Share The Meal
Mexico
Nilus
Results of innovations supported: 37 million people reached
Figure

Provided assistance to crisis zones and countries facing post-conflict instability to

7.2 million+ people

Helped

12.6 million+ people

from food insecure communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from climate shocks and stress

7.4 million+ people

received an efficient and effective distribution of food through
Supply Chain and Logistics innovations

Created food assistance policies and programmes that offer conditions for

4 million+ people

to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment

 

Figure

10.7 million+ people

had access to optimized (school) meals or food with an increased nutritional value with innovative Nutrition and School-Based Programmes 

Helped

4.3 million+ smallholder farmers

from food insecure communities manage natural resources more sustainably, which enables them to meet today’s livelihood needs

 

4.2 million+ people

made faster, cheaper and more secure Cash-Based Transfers

 

106 innovation projects and ventures
48
Projects from the Zero Hunger Portfolio
58
Ventures from the SDGx portfolio
Innovation Stories
Who are the people behind the numbers?
Here’s a look at some of the innovation stories from 2022.
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WFP Innovation
The use of Optimus in Madagascar and Ethiopia Emergencies
Optimus is an optimization tool developed by the World Food Programme’s Supply Chain Division that identifies the most cost-effective way to reach affected people in emergencies by providing insights on food basket designs, sourcing strategies and delivery networks. The Innovation Accelerator has helped scale Optimus to more than 20 emergency operations by 2022.
The INITIATE2 core solution team in Brindisi, Italy. Photo: WFP/Julian Civiero
Collective Innovation Journey
Designing the future of pandemic emergency response
The WFP Innovation Accelerator joined forces with sister agency the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) launched a human-centred multistakeholder initiative called INITIATE2 to enhance emergency response, public health, patient care, and research to develop solutions to be implemented across humanitarian organizations.
WFP Innovation Accelerator staff in a meeting
Knowledge
How to establish an organizational structure that fosters innovation: 5 tips from WFP’s experience
To commemorate its seventh anniversary, the WFP Innovation Accelerator published five tips for startups to establish an organizational structure dedicated to innovation.
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SDGx Acceleration Programme
The Kofi Annan Award for Innovation in Africa
The WFP Innovation Accelerator hosted the Koffi Annan Award initiated by the Austrian Federal Chancellery in collaboration with the Austrian Development Agency and the Kofi Annan Foundation, aimed to address urgent healthcare needs of people across Africa.
Photo from the WFP Innovation Champions 2022 Global Event during a group photo.
WFP Innovation Network
Celebrating two years of the Innovation Champions Community
Out-going Executive Director David Beasley thanks Champions who have committed their time and expertise to help innovation thrive at WFP.
Photo by WFP/Henrietta Moore, in Bonthe District, Sierra Leone
SDGx Acceleration Programme
Building the future of pandemic preparedness through open-source solutions
Three innovations which include MedTrack, Simprints and OpenFn were selected to join the WFP Sprint Programme through the 2022 Digital Health Innovation Acceleration Programme (DHIAP) which accelerated scalable digital innovations advancing COVID-19 preparedness and vaccination rollout.
WFP Executive Director, David Beasley, congratulates one of the award winners. Photo: WFP/Rein Skullerud.
In the Spotlight
WFP Innovation Awards 2022
Know more about the top five innovative solutions awarded for disrupting hunger in 2022.
Guatemala. Women in the Plan de Jocote community are growing drought-resistant crops as part of WFP's resilience-building initiative and are now ready for the dry season. Photo: WFP/Giulio d'Adamo.
Events
Climate innovation takes to the stage at COP27
The WFP Innovation Accelerator works to systematically source, support, and scale innovative solutions to disrupt hunger and accelerate impact across multiple SDGs. At COP 27, the Accelerator hosted the "Disrupt Hunger | Innovating for People and Planet" event to highlight the opportunity to progress towards a climate-resilient future through innovation and technology.
Lessons Learned
Pivots, failures and change are an inherent part of the innovation process. Lessons learned and reflections from responding to these challenges give ground for growth, foster novel ways of thinking and spur further innovation. We share key lessons learned across our activities and innovation projects that can be useful for any public or private sector innovation team and humanitarian and development organizations.
Lessons learned from WFP’s innovation projects 1
LESSONS LEARNED
Creating lasting change
Achieving social impact requires a clear vision and an unwavering focus on your mission. In this section, we share our six lessons learned focused on enabling factors for innovation, such as defining your focus and North Stars, designing data-driven programmes, and scaling innovations sustainably.
Lessons learned from WFP’s innovation projects 2
LESSONS LEARNED
Expanding horizons
The need for innovation is more critical than ever as humanitarian and development challenges grow in complexity and scale. This section offers six lessons learned from our experience harnessing emerging technologies, exploring new financing models, and boosting efficiency to maximize impact.
Lessons learned from WFP’s innovation projects 3
LESSONS LEARNED
The power of collaboration
The impact and growth of our innovations were only possible with the engagement of our partners, collaborators, mentors, and the people we assist. Discover our six lessons learned about human-centered design, ecosystem engagement, and designing mentorship programmes for social start-ups and innovators.
Thank you to our key partners
Year in Review 2022