Food for work [FFW] : a review of the 1980s with recommendations for the 1990s

480 Title II, is used by private voluntary organizations (PVO's) and the World Food Program (WFP) in development projects and emergency operations as a mode of food aid delivery which requires individuals to work in return for food. This report documents the impact of FFW programs in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East/North Africa during the past decade. The findings are generally favorable. (1) FFW programs have succeeded in reaching poor areas, targeting poor people and women, and delivering emergency food supplies in a number of countries. They are especially useful in food-deficit areas and in community development projects where meals at work sites make sustained mobilization of labor possible. How to harmonize management and accountability requirements in such situations remains problematic, however. (2) The requirement for active participation as well as the increased provision of resources other than food (e.g., tools, materials, technical, and administrative supervision) has created an opportunity to achieve development results. However, regulations, procedures, and commodity management requirements need to be improved to more fully support development objectives. (3) Acceptable labor productivity is achieved where FFW is provided for tasks achieved or to gangs working on contracts. (4) During the 1980's, FFW programs benefitted from new forms of commodity use. In some countries, PVO's entered into barter arrangements to exchange imported commodities for locally grown foods available closer to project sites. This practice reduced transport costs, increased demand for local commodities, and avoided problems of food acceptability. Closed monetization, which provides low-paid workers the option of receiving cash wages or food subsidies, achieved similar ends, though difficulty was experienced in programming the resulting currencies. A final section of the report presents recommendations for future programming.