Â鶹ÊÓƵ

S?o Tom¨¦ and Pr¨ªncipe is a small island developing state off the coast of central Africa, with a population of 225,000 people.

It is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and faces development challenges stemming from structural vulnerabilities such as its geographic isolation, the small size of the national market and dependence on imports. Inflation surged to 25.2 percent in 2023 as global prices of imports and local food prices rose sharply.

S?o Tom¨¦ and Pr¨ªncipe has achieved significant results in recent decades, increasing food security, reducing poverty, and raising investment in the introduction of local products in school meals. In December 2024, the country graduated from the United Nations Least Developed Countries category, reflecting improvements in education, health and per capita income. The transition also brings risks, including a possible reduction in external financial support.

However, the resilience of the population in the face of disasters, malnutrition and food insecurity in some districts is a concern for the country. About one third of the population lives on less than US$1.90 per day.

The Â鶹ÊÓƵ is supporting government efforts to provide a home-grown school feeding programme ¨C with related food security and nutrition policies and programmes ¨C throughout the country by 2030. The programme aims to support smallholder farmers, and to be environmentally and socially sustainable, and gender transformative.