What role can food vouchers play in strengthening climate resilience?

Climate change threatens to intensify poverty, inequality and food insecurity. In countries like the Philippines, extreme weather (cyclones, floods or droughts) could disrupt livelihoods and exacerbate malnutrition. Social protection can play a role to preserve food security during shocks and prevent harmful coping strategies through income security. Exploring the results of a study jointly promoted by the Philippines Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the French Development Agency (AFD), this document inspects the pathways through which food vouchers can strengthen climate resilience. It discusses how to better integrate food vouchers into national Adaptive Social Protection systems and which design improvements are needed to strengthen climate resilience, illustrating this nexus for the first pilot phase of the program Walang Gutom. For the DSWD, ensuring household food security is central to reducing the impacts of climate-related shocks on the poorest and most vulnerable Filipinos. Walang Gutom, as a nutrition-sensitive social protection program, provides a critical safety net that helps families maintain access to food and recover faster after disasters.