Also, WFP-Tajikistan will need additional funds from donors to enable it to continue its indispensable role in this massive transformation. The United States and the European Union were the largest donors to WFP in 1999 accounting for 41 per cent and 34 per cent, respectively, of the wheat flour that was distributed by the organisation in Tajikistan. The United States provided 7,500 tons of wheat flour and 500 tons of vegetable oil, but its pledges for the year 2000 are much lower, not exceeding 2,000 tons of wheat and 300 tons of oil. In spite of these commitments WFP-Tajikistan is still quite short of its planned needs. The development and stability of Tajikistan is vital for the emerging states of Central Asia in particular, and the world in general.
Food security is a crucial bridge to cross towards stability and self-sufficiency.
The land leasing programme and similar development schemes including those devised by the WFP are the main spans of this bridge. Abdelrahmanova, who lifted the old mats on her mud floor to show us how damp it is underneath, hopes to join other women in benefiting from the land leasing programme, in which 57 per cent of the participants are women. Maybe then, she can fix the long forsaken broken radio resting on the only table in her second room. The writer is the WFP regional public information officer for West and Central Asia. He accompanied Regional Manager John Powell on a visit to Tajikistan on January 25-31.