Cuba

The largest island in the Caribbean, Cuba ranks 97th among 193 countries in the Human Development Report 2025. However, there are growing difficulties for the food security and nutrition of many Cuban families.

In 2024, the country experienced a 1.1 percent contraction in GDP and continues to face challenges stemming from a prolonged economic recession, characterized by persistent inflation, declining fiscal resources and fuel shortages.

In addition, limited access to foreign currency has significantly reduced the availability of domestic and imported food products. Although the government's monthly food basket provides basic commodities for the population, it is almost entirely imported, and the government reported shortages and delays in its distribution.

Pre-pandemic data from the National Institute of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology showed a high prevalence of anaemia in children aged 6-23 months in eastern and central provinces and Havana.

Cuba is one of the Caribbean countries most exposed to hurricanes, droughts and unseasonal rains. In addition, low agricultural productivity and high post-harvest losses remain key challenges.

World Food Programme operations include strengthening the resilience of food systems and local agricultural value chains. We link producers to social protection programmes to ensure the supply of nutritious, locally produced food. We further support emergency preparedness and response, as well as actions to prevent malnutrition.

What the World Food Programme is doing in Cuba

Resilient and sustainable local food systems: WFP prioritizes support for agricultural value chains (from seed and field production to final consumption) for nutritious crops. We increase farmers' productivity and incomes and reduce post-harvest losses, to ensure a stable and diverse food supply for social protection networks – with a nutritional focus. We provide training, technical assistance and equipment to smallholder farmers and other food system actors, with a focus on reducing the vulnerability of food production to extreme events and climate change. This helps to increase crop yields and improve crop quality.
Strengthening social protection systems: WFP supports access to a diverse and nutritious diet in daycare centres, schools, maternal homes, family care systems and other locations, mainly by strengthening local food systems. WFP supports government efforts to strengthen targeting of vulnerable people through analysis of community and household vulnerability, the digitalization of beneficiary registration systems, and researching the viability of other approaches such as cash-based transfers.
School meals: WFP supports the Government with school-meal programmes that provide training on healthy eating habits and nutrition to smallholder farmers, teachers, food processors, schoolchildren and their families. We also support training on buying and preparing food – including fresh local produce from smallholder farmers – and the design of nutrition-focused menus.
Nutrition: WFP supports nutrition education targeting vulnerable groups, to help improve people’s eating habits. We help prevent malnutrition in priority groups – such as children aged 6-23 months and pregnant and nursing women – by distributing specialized nutritious foods such as micronutrient powders, through local health centres and other social protection institutions. At the same time, we support government efforts towards a national food fortification strategy.
Emergency response, resilience and disaster risk management: WFP contributes to the government's strategy for emergency preparedness and response, including anticipatory actions and capacity building for local decision-making. We also support the strengthening of early-warning systems and risk assessment, through analysis of the vulnerability of local food production to drought and hurricanes. WFP further provides immediate food and non-food assistance to populations affected by disasters.