Rural public works and food-for-work: A survey

There are three separate strands to the debate on food-for-work. First, issues concerning labor-intensive public works more generally, in particular the tension between short-run employment creation/income generation and the size and distribution of the longer term income stream. Second, how useful is food as a wage good in rural works? Overall generalizations as to the superiority of cash as against wages in kind are not sustainable. Third, is food aid an appropriate resource to support rural works? The relative success over the past decade of major schemes in South Asia with food widely used as wage good. justifies a reassessment of the potential of rural works both as food security mechanism and in expanding employment of disadvantaged groups in a situation of widespread structural underemployment. Less satisfactory longer term income distributional and asset generating impact of such schemes must remain a serious source of concern. The impact of food aid to rural works appears more problematic in sub-Saharan Africa. Scope exists for more flexible and innovative use of this resource.