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Rome — The United Nation’s World Food Programme (WFP) is preparing to support 490,000 people in Burkina Faso, The Gambia and Mali who were impacted by drought in 2022. WFP has received US$15.4 million worth of insurance payouts from African Risk Capacity (ARC) Limited that will provide a cash transfer to affected people from March to May 2023, enabling them to recover from the impacts of drought, for example by buying food or supplementing incomes to avoid having to sell productive assets. “Communities in Mali contribute very little to the climate crisis, yet the impacts are forcing them into a food crisis,” says Eric Perdison, WFP Country Director in Mali. “This funding will enable WFP to reach hundreds of thousands of food-insecure people affected by climate-induced negative impacts, with cash and nutrition assistance.”
Farmers in West Africa suffered losses and damages to their crops and livelihoods due to extensive drought impacting the 2022 agricultural season. This has knock-on effects throughout the region as food availability is reduced and prices soar. Climate insurance enables communities to recover from losses and damages, preventing them being pushed into hunger.
The insurance scheme is part of the ARC Group, a specialized agency of the African Union that helps member countries manage climate and disaster risks. WFP has contributed $7.2 million to Burkina Faso, $187,600 to Gambia and $8 million to Mali. Support also includes nutritional support for children 6 months to 23 months and pregnant and lactating women.
“Thanks to support from Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, WFP has worked with local governments to purchase insurance policies that can minimize losses and damages from climate change impacts,” said WFP Climate Risks. Matthieu Dubreuil, Chief Insurance Officer, said. . “Initiatives like this need to be scaled up to protect more people on the front lines of the climate crisis.”
Since 2019, WFP has protected 4.8 million of her in six African countries with his ARC insurance. To date, WFP has received eight disbursements totaling US$25.4 million to five countries, providing cash, food assistance, nutrition assistance and emergency wealth creation to more than 790,000 people.
“When I was struggling to buy groceries, I got a money transfer. I lived alone with my children and we had to eat. So I bought rice and millet.” said Aissé, a widow from Mali who received money from the 2021 drought payments.a