Highlights

 WFP is providing food and logistical assistance to the populations affected by Hurricane Matthew in eastern Cuba.

 WFP is working with government counterparts to promote nutrition for vulnerable groups and support behavior change and nutrition education in schools.

 WFP is adapting and testing a self-evaluation tool for cooperatives to assess and improve their management and contribute to national food security.

WFP Cuba Country Brief  WFP supports the strengthening of agricultural value chains by organizing Service Fairs to bring together producers and service providers.

WFP Assistance

Total 6 Month Total national early-warning systems for drought and Received (in Net Funding Requirements USD) Requirements hurricanes, and help disseminate this information to (in USD) Country Programme (in USD)* national and local decision makers. Separately, an 200703 emergency contingency stock was established to (Jan 2015-Dec 2018) 13.3 m 17.5 m - enable WFP, in case of a natural disaster, to provide (76%) assistance to nearly 275,000 people for one month.

*July – November 2017 The Country Programme values the empowerment of

WFP focuses on assisting Cuban authorities to enhance women as a major driver of change. Special attention the efficiency and sustainability of national food-based is devoted to gender equality by promoting a greater social protection programmes for vulnerable groups, involvement of women in decision-making processes strengthening agricultural value chains and promoting related to nutrition and agricultural production, both at resilience. The Country Programme entails three the national and local levels. interlinked strategic areas of work: Total Total Received (in Requirements Support to food-based safety nets: WFP supports Emergency Food Assistance to USD) Communities Affected by (in USD) national efforts to make food-based safety nets for Hurricane Matthew in Cuba vulnerable groups more sustainable and efficient. To EMOP 201034 2.4 m strengthen the National Plan for the Prevention and 4.1 m (Oct 2016-Apr 2017) (58%) Control of Anaemia, WFP focuses on iron supplementation, as well as food fortification and diversification for children aged 6 to 23 months and for In October 2016, WFP launched an emergency operation to support the Cuban authorities in pregnant or nursing women. WFP also complements other national food-related safety programmes targeted preserving the food security and nutrition of 179,000 at schoolchildren, pregnant women and elderly people. people affected by Hurricane Matthew (seven Finally, WFP helps strengthening the national Food municipalities in the province of Guantanamo and one in the province of Holguin). Food assistance (rice and Security and Nutrition Monitoring System by promoting beans, vegetable oil, fortified cereal and micronutrient studies for a greater understanding of the current food powders) is being provided to the most vulnerable security and nutrition situation. population groups, including those who have lost their Strengthen food value chains: WFP is working in livelihoods, children aged 12-23 months, as well as close collaboration with the Government to strengthen pregnant and nursing women. In addition, WFP will local agricultural value chains, with a focus on beans. It strengthen the Government’s logistical capacities by promotes a new management model that increases providing technical assistance and basic equipment to sustainability through linkages between agricultural ensure the rehabilitation of warehouses and other food production and food-based safety nets, by stimulating storage facilities. food production. This will contribute to a reliable, timely and stable food supply to social protection programmes and reduce d food imports. Capacity development and augmentation is at the core of WFP’s activities. In Numbers Strengthen resilience and disaster risk People assisted: nearly 119,000 management : WFP is supporting the Government’s (May 2017 – country programme) response to climate-related hazards. It contributes to the integration of food security vulnerability analysis into

Main Credit: WFP/Marianela Gonzalez Photo Caption: Education activities organized by WFP in June 2017 Guantanamo, for the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, 17 June

Operational Updates Country Background & Strategy  WFP continues assisting the populations affected by hurricane Matthew in eastern Cuba through distribution of rice, beans and vegetable oil. WFP is also strengthening food storage capacities in the hardest -hit municipalities with mobile storage units and lightning equipment.

 WFP supported the Ministry of Education with the design, organization and implementation of the mid- term evaluation workshops for the Nutrition Strategy in the school feeding programme, in five eastern provinces and Pinar del Rio.  WFP continues working with the Ministry of Health, to identify areas of interest to be included in the strategy on Behaviour Chance Communication on nutrition. This strategy focuses on anaemia and obesity among adolescents, children and pregnant mothers. This process is in line with WFP 2017-2021 Nutrition Policy, which expands malnutrition prevention, to include both undernutrition and obesity.  WFP advanced with its training programme and planned the activities for the following year to Over the last 50 years, Cuba’s comprehensive social strengthen drought resilience in the urban and peri- protection programmes have largely eradicated hunger urban areas of Santiago de Cuba, to ensure stable and poverty. In 2011, the Government of Cuba launched supply of fresh food to social protection programmes. a process to update its economic model to improve  WFP is systematizing the pilot phase of the process to efficiency, reduce costs and increase sustainability of strengthen drought early-warning systems in eastern social protection programmes. These efforts are guided Cuba, and the use of food security and nutrition by the Government’s commitment to ensure that no vulnerability indicators in drought risk assessments, Cuban is left unprotected. In this process, food security following the workshops with the counterparts held was identified as a national priority. during the month of May. In 2015, WFP launched its first four-year Country Challenges Programme for Cuba, to support government efforts to  WFP has a funding gap of 1.7 million for its response to strengthen its food security and nutrition. Hurricane Matthew.  As stressed by Cuba authorities, drought continues to WFP works in the five eastern provinces (Granma, represent a challenge to public water supply and Guantanamo, Holguin, Las Tunas and Santiago de agricultural production in the whole country, Cuba), which have the lowest development rates and are particularly in the central and eastern provinces. prone to drought, torrential rains and occasional earthquakes. In addition, WFP works in the provinces of Agricultural development Pinar del Rio and Matanzas in western Cuba, which are  WFP, backed by the regional office, lead pilot very exposed to tropical cyclones with severe impacts on workshops in Guantanamo province (El Salvador and food security and nutrition. Niceto Perez municipalities) to test a tool adapted to the Cuban context for cooperatives to self-evaluate All WFP operations in Cuba support the Sustainable their management capacities. During the workshops, Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 2 on the tool was enhanced and validated by cooperatives’ achieving food security and nutrition. Activities are also members (including producers), the Association of aligned with WFP’s Strategic Objectives of promoting Small Farmers and Ministry of Agriculture. The tool food security and nutrition, as well as resilience to will be launched in the remaining municipalities from climate disasters. September onwards.  WFP continues to strengthen agricultural value chains, WFP has been present in Cuba since 1963. facilitating two Service Fairs held in Granma Province 2015 Human Development Index: (Campechuela and Pilon municipalities), bringing Population: 11.2 million 67 out of 188 together service providers and producers, to promote the knowledge of available services and facilitate Life expectancy: 79 years access to them by producers. Income Level: Upper middle

Monitoring and Evaluation Donors  The restructuring of M&E system was approved by national counterparts, which would facilitate access to Brazil, Canada, Central Emergency Response Fund, Cuban quarterly data to monitor WFP projects. Government, European Union, Italy, private sector, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation and Switzerland.

Contact info: wfp.havana@wfp.org WFP Cuba Country Brief Country Director: Laura Melo June 2017 Further information: www.wfp.org/countries/cuba