The World Food Programme, which is sponsored jointly by the United Nations and FAO and supported by voluntary contributions in cash or kind from Member Nations of the two organizations, has committed just over 1000 million dollars worth of food aid to development projects and emergencies since it began operations in 1963.
Of this, nearly 90 million dollars have been in support of forestry projects or other projects with a major forestry element, to provide rations to forest workers as a supplement to their wages, or as an incentive to join training schemes or take part in road building or land conservation works.
In depressed rural areas, where unemployment or seasonal employment is the rule rather than the exception, the creation of jobs is an urgent necessity. Providing up to half of the wages in food means that a larger working force can be employed and the dependent families benefit from a better diet.
Above. Working in a forest nursery in the WFP-sponsored project for reforestation and rural development in the districts of Constantine and Aurès in eastern ,Algeria. The end of the war of independence left the rural population of this area practically destitute. Since 1966 WFP's contribution of $30 million worth of supplies has made it possible to create employment, provide food to some 20 000 rural families, and plant trees on about 26 000 hectares of eroded and unproductive land.
At left. WFP is providing $17 million worth of food as an incentive for subsistence farmers in forest areas to give up destructive agricultural practices and train as permanent forest workers in the Antalya and Bolu provinces. The project aims to absorb by 1973 nearly 26 000 workers who can be used in the development and utilization of Turkey's important forest resources (recently evaluated under an FAO/UNDP forestry project).
At right. A forest worker collects his rations of wheat flour, bulgur wheat, dried skim milk, canned meat, canned fish, pulses and vegetable oil. There are eight forestry projects in the Latin American region, to which WFP has committed over $4.4 million worth of commodities as part payment of wages.
Below. One of the forest nurseries of a very successful project in Taiwan which is using more than 56 million dollars of WFP food over a nine-year period for the labour force engaged in replacing poor quality mixed hardwood forest with fast growing and more valuable softwood species in upland areas. Besides making the mountain forests, which cover 60 percent of the island, into a more valuable economic asset, the project is giving employment to over 9 000 formerly unemployed persons who lived on illegal cutting and cultivation in the forest areas.
