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How to design and handle a FFW programme?
Principle steps and mechanisms
Whether a FFW programme is justified or not depends on the overall
objective and strategies, as well as the local circumstances within the
programme region. In the context of GTZ supported IFSPs, food-for-work
activities are the tool to bridge foodstuff deficits in the short–term and
they intend to mobilise self-help capacities in food related areas (infrastructure,training and education, production).
Alternatives to FFW within Public Work Programmes are other income
transfers such as cash or materials such as seeds and tools. However,
within IFSPs these are less important. Whether the payment is in kind or
in cash depends on local circumstances. This method describes only the
steps required in order to design FFW programmes in the context of
Integrated Food Security.
Step 1: What are the objectives of the FFW activities?
- Before FFW programmes can start, the following issues have to be
clarified in order to determine the objectives of the FFW measures:
a) The food security or poverty problem of the target population and
its causes (e.g. acute food shortage, due to harvest losses, crises,
forced internal displacement, or chronic food insecurity due to
poverty, structural underemployment, weak or unequally distributed
resources).
b) The aim of the FFW programme (i.e. relief, rehabilitation, development).
c) The type of the asset to be created (i.e. directly productive, economic
or social infrastructure).
d) The FFW approach, such as large-scale labour intensive, community
developmental, agricultural resettlement etc.
- The most applicable FFW approach within GTZ supported Integrated
Food Security Programmes is the community project approach for
rehabilitation of productive infrastructure through self-help and
participation of the community. Emphasis is given to the involvement
of local leaders and organisations during FFW activities. Therefore,
food, nutritional and organisational aspects are combined to
establish community-based initiatives towards sustainable food
security within the project area.
- Regardless of the type of projects and measures to be promoted by
FFW within an Integrated Food Security Programme, the general
objective is always the improvement of the food security situation of
the involved families.
Step 2: What are typical target groups for the FFW programme?
- There are two different scenarios where target groups can be identified
for FFW activities:
a) Acute emergency situations, as a consequence of war or natural
disasters, where people have lost their productive resources,
depending on coping and survival strategies.
b) Structural chronic food insecure areas with low self-help potential,
as a consequence of structural land shortage, weak productive
potential, unemployment or limited access to markets and services
which causes poverty.
- Typical target groups within IFSP in rural, urban or sub-urban areas
are:
a) Landless families or families with restricted access to land.
b) Migrants, due to the lack of own resources.
c) Unemployed, underemployed and poor people.
d) Young people without any job opportunities.
e) Female-headed households, single-headed households.
Recently, the GTZ has begun to concentrate IFSPs in countries and
regions involved in conflict or post-war phases. The specific target
groups within these areas are mainly internally displaced people
(IDP) as a result of wars, conflicts and disasters. They are also the
most needy, in terms of rehabilitating their social and productive
resources and assets.
Step 3: Determine the situation and areas where FFW will be applied
- FFW activities intend to create economic or social assets for long-term
purposes and improve food security within the target population.
This implies the need to identify the scope and magnitude of the
nutritional problem (i.e. the determinants and prevalences of the food
insecurity problem in the region). Furthermore, the general conditions
of the communities should be known in terms of resources, potentials
and institutional capacities.
Step 4: How to select FFW projects or measures? Define criteria
- Once the nutritional problem is characterised within the programme
areas, specific FFW activities can be developed.
- If harvest losses occur due to seasonal droughts and the stored grains
have been consumed, then FFW activities need to be carried out
during the critical pre-harvest period. However, what has to be
avoided is that the FFW is undertaken at the same time as agricultural
labour activities are at their peak, since this causes competition for
labour.
- Where damaged or poor irrigation systems exists FFWs could provide
the necessary incentive for rehabilitation or improvement. This will
lead to improved agricultural productivity and diversification, and
may also increase the number of harvests possible.
- Communities often have prioritised small-scale projects for which
they may only require a small incentive, in form of materials or tools,
in order to commence. It is important that FFW takes the prioritised
community needs and requirements into consideration for FFW
actions.
Step 5: How to select the participants for the FFW activities?
Define criteria
- Regardless of the variety of possible community-based projects, which
could be implemented though FFW, clear criteria should be defined to
involve only the poor and food insecure families or household members
in the FFW programme.
- These selection criteria for an appropriate targeting of the population
have to be discussed and accepted by the community. Some general
aspects, such as the willingness to self-help, a minimum of social
organisation, and the potential to contribute to the long-term and
maintenance costs of a project, are common pre-conditions of a FFW
programme.
- When the community organisation is established and the participants
for FFW activities have been selected, it is necessary to define objective
indicators to determine food insecurity. The following indicators may
prove helpful in this task:
a) The nutritional status of children or adults within the family.
b) Socio-economic status of the families.
c) Unemployment rates.
d) Information regarding land-ownership patterns.
e) Registered migrants, displaced or affected people due to conflict or
natural disasters.
- It has to be remembered that sick or disabled people, children or
elderly, who are physically weak, cannot participate in the FFW
activities and only benefit indirectly from the distributed food
rations within the households. These specific target groups need
particular programmes and interventions, depending on the identified
problem of this particular population.
- Note: There is also a need to consider gender aspects in the design
of FFW activities. On the one hand, women should be integrated
disproportionately into the FFW programme to ensure that food
rations reach the women directly since they are key persons for
ensuring food security at the household level. Furthermore, women
should be fully integrated into the decision-making process concerning
the appropriate food items, the rations, distribution and management
procedures. On the other hand, planners need to be
aware that FFW activities can increase the overall workload of
women, resulting in further negative effects on matters such as childcare.
A balance has to be struck between providing benefits from
FFW, while mitigating potential negative consequences on women.
The manner in which the balance is to be achieved requires intensive
discussions amongst programme staff and community members/
leaders involved in FFW activities.
Step 6: Food rations, logistics and working principles
- Generally, each programme defines a standard food ration used in
FFW activities. Food rations should cover a part of the daily subsistence
requirements for an average household. Furthermore, they
should take into account local and country-wide food staples, as
well as culturally determined food habits.
- Food rations can differ between countries and programmes. Table 1
provides some examples from various GTZ supported IFSP.
Table 1: Country-specific examples of FFW rations
- Food rations are normally scheduled to be distributed either on a weekly
basis or every two weeks. The rations are always distributed to those
who participate in the programme. Even if women do not participate in
the FFW activities, they must be involved in the distribution process in
order to ensure a high level of transparency. This is necessary to make
sure that the women are aware of the food items that will be made
available to the household.
- At times, educational aspects need to be integrated into FFW activities.
This helps to ensure that the food insecure persons also receive important
messages on issues such as nutrition, health, consumption matters,
as well as nutritional behavioural factors.
- The number of people, who fulfil the criteria for participation in a FFW
programme, can exceed the FFW capacities. One way of solving this
dilemma is to introduce a system of rotation that maximises the levels
of participation of the needy. Nevertheless, a restriction that has to be
introduced is that only one member of a household is allowed to participate
in the FFW activity concurrently. This ensures an equitable distribution
of benefits per household.
- Normally, food rations are distributed on the basis of work performances
and not on the mere basis of attendance. Ideally, FFW activities should
take into account country specific work norms.
Step 7: Monitoring and Supervision of FFW activities
- Generally, FFW can be deemed successful and appropriate if it has
maximised the number of people who were involved in the activities
and fulfil the criteria of being food deficit, poor or unemployed. It is
not only a question of participating in any activity, but rather a labour
intensive activity that creates productive and socially relevant assets
for the community. All of this requires careful monitoring and intensive
supervision.
- A clear distinction has to be made between monitoring the FFW inputs
and activities, and the monitoring of the intended and unintended
effects and impacts. The following table provides some examples of
factors that need to be considered in any FFW monitoring system.
Table 2: Examples of indicators for monitoring systems
A coherent FFW design can help to establish the internal programme
monitoring scheme, and contributes effectively to the objectives and
indicators of the overall monitoring and evaluation system necessary for
a Integrated Food Security Programme.
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