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WFP refocusing its work in Afghanistan

A farmer spreads fertilizer on his newly planted wheat fields that have replaced his poppy crop in Mian Poshteh, Helmand Province Kate Holt/IRIN
A farmer spreads fertilizer on his newly planted wheat fields that have replaced his poppy crop in Mian Poshteh, Helmand Province, Afghanistan
    NAIROBI

    The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is being forced by a funding shortfall to cut its recovery programmes in nearly half of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, a spokesperson said.



    “We are having to refocus our activities to continue supporting those who are most in need, especially in provinces that have the largest number of people who are either very highly food insecure or very food insecure,” WFP spokesperson Challiss McDonough told IRIN. “We will also continue school feeding in the south because of the role it plays in getting children, especially girls, to enrol and attend school.”



    WFP requires US$200 million to reach the seven million people it wishes to target; at present it is only reaching 3.8 million. “We have had to make some very difficult decisions about how to refocus our work in Afghanistan because of the funding shortage,” said WFP Deputy Country Director Bradley Guerrant.



    The cuts in food aid come as Afghanistan braces for a significant food shortage in the coming months.



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    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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