OKB: Miliona afganë i kërcënon uria këtë dimër

Afghanistan, Balkh Province, Khulm district, November 2011 To prevent flooding in the future, the villages in Khulm and neighboring Deh Dahdi district joined together in April 2011 to create an integrated watershed management system. It is integrated, because it tackles the water problem in multiple ways: by building terraces and check dams to slow the force of water, prevent run-off and conserve soil; by creating reservoirs to harvest rain water; and by planting pistachio trees, to increase water infiltration, prevent soil erosion and provide livelihood opportunities. Over 5,800 skilled and unskilled workers are involved in building the infrastructure for the system, which will ultimately benefit some 50,000 people in 25 villages. The project is part of WFP’s Food-for-Assets initiative, a mechanism that uses food as a means to support people’s initiatives to create assets that build their resilience against shocks and improve livelihoods. In Afghanistan, WFP implements over 100 of these projects around the country in food insecure areas, creating assets such as dams, irrigation systems, and road networks that link villages to larger markets. WFP partnered with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and assessed project proposals that came directly from villages in the two districts. After selecting the project with the communities and agreeing on the way forward, the organizations worked closely with the implementing partner, a local NGO, and the district government, to make sure that each party knew the role they had to play. The participating communities provided some basic tools and the manpower; the government provided land; FAO provided technical assistance; and WFP provided food to compensate the participating communities for their labour. As of 30 November, WFP had provided more than 500 MT of wheat, pulses, vegetable oil and salt – commodities which WFP was able to provide thanks to generous contributions from the Governm