United Nations World Food Programme in India

Elisabeth Faure, Representative and Country Director, United Nations World Food Programme in India

Innovating for Impact: Advancing India–France Cooperation on Food Security and Nutrition

As India continues to make robust strides towards becoming a global technology leader, it is demonstrating how innovation can be scaled. From digital public infrastructure to AI-driven governance, this transformation is increasingly aligned with the country's development priorities, including food security and nutrition—areas where technological progress must translate into measurable human outcomes.

The National Food Security Act (NFSA) legally entitles up to 75 per cent of the rural population and 50 per cent of the urban population—around 81.35 crore people—to highly subsidised foodgrains, making India’s food safety net one of the largest in the world.

Malnutrition and food insecurity remain complex challenges despite progress. Addressing them requires expanded safety nets and smarter, data-driven, adaptive, inclusive systems. India’s leadership in Aadhaar, digital payments, and real-time data offers a foundation for better food and nutrition programs. Over 80 crore people receive food support via NFSA schemes, including children, adolescent girls, and pregnant and lactating women, through school feeding and Anganwadi programs.

Working in India for over six decades, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has been a co-traveller in India’s journey from a grain recipient to self-sufficiency and a leading grain exporter, with growing aspirations to provide humanitarian food assistance. As one of the world’s largest humanitarian agencies, WFP, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, operates in more than 120 countries and territories and supported 124 million people in 2024, of whom 54 per cent were women and girls.

WFP follows a pilot-to-scale approach, working alongside national and state governments

to strengthen food systems through digital innovation—from strengthening national food security programmes and optimising the supply chain to improving data analytics and programme targeting, ensuring no one is left behind. At the state level, we work in Uttarakhand, Odisha, Rajasthan, Haryana, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Kerala.

India’s CSR allocates nearly INR 30,000 crore annually to development, prioritising education, health, and rural areas—thereby supporting innovation in food and nutrition systems. French firms lead in CSR and ESG, with the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IFCCI) establishing a dedicated CSR department and recognising top projects in education, healthcare, the environment, vocational skills, and livelihoods.

In this context, the India–France partnership offers significant strategic value. France’s strengths in scientific research, sustainable systems, and responsible technology complement India’s scale and digital capabilities. A more structured collaboration—focused on innovation for development—can accelerate progress towards shared priorities, such as climate-resilient agriculture, nutrition security, and sustainable supply chains.

WFP’s global experience demonstrates the potential of such partnerships. Through its Innovation Accelerator, supported in part by French stakeholders, WFP has piloted solutions such as blockchain-enabled assistance delivery, AI-based vulnerability analysis, and advanced logistics systems. French private-sector actors have contributed to innovations in supply chain management, digital tools, and sustainable practices, which now inform programmes across multiple regions.

I am proud to underscore that WFP helped initiate the global School Meals Coalition and now technically leads it, while France is a political co‑leader and major donor, co‑chairs the coalition, and finances its secretariat and school meal programmes through WFP.

The combined capabilities of India and France can help ensure that technological progress translates into improved nutrition, stronger food systems, and greater resilience among vulnerable populations.