Bangladesh : Food for Work, Work for Money, and Test Relief - Program Brief

In the lean periods ahead of harvest, twice a year, when food shortages are most significant, the rural labor force has fewer employment and income generating opportunities. Many agricultural workers find it extremely hard to survive these seasonal lean periods and until recent years, were affected by seasonal famine called ‘monga’. The Government of Bangladesh has been operating two public works schemes, Food for Work (FFW) and Test Relief (TR), to address shortage of both food and work opportunities. As food security of the country improves and transaction costs associated with food payment lower the program efficiency, the food to cash transitions are taking place for wages with the introduction of a complementary program: Work for Money (WFM).