1. Conditional voucher programme in support of the “Greening
Palestine” –initiative
WFP’s conditional voucher programme is implemented in partnership with the Ministry
of Agriculture, FAO, and a number of int. and local NGOs and stakeholders, to meet
urgent food needs of vulnerable people while contributing to build the resilience of
food insecure communities. The conditional voucher programme uses food assistance
tools to support agricultural development, addressing the impacts of climate change,
contributing to the “Greening Palestine” initiative and supporting local economic
activity.
The objective of the conditional voucher programme is to rebuild livelihoods and
provide income support to unskilled workers and poor farmers on the one hand and to
eventually provide training to poor farming women in food processing, planting, and
harvesting techniques on the other hand.
The voucher programme has been implemented in the West Bank since January 2013
and seeks to address a number of risks faced by local populations, including natural
disasters set to increase because of climate change, desertification, water scarcity, and a
separation barrier which impacts water flow and drainage during the winter season.
Specific activities carried out under the conditional voucher programme include:
-Water harvesting;
-Construction and rehabilitation of agricultural roads;
-Supporting the governments’ production capacity of seedlings;
-Seedling planting and seedling/tree pruning;
-Land rehabilitation (terracing and leveling of fields);
-Land reclamation for open field farming and rangeland development;
-Providing nutrition and life-skills trainings to women.
The programme builds on previous experience of WFP and partners and is currently
reaching 10,000 people a month. By using vouchers – and the strict quality requirements
linked to voucher products – considerable improvements in standards have been
achieved throughout the supply value chain. In the past three years, WFP has invested
approximately US$100 million in the Palestinian economy through local purchases and
the use of vouchers.