How does WFP get food to the hungry poor?
WFP transports more food than any other international organisation. Moving food assistance, a bulk commodity, thousands of miles at a moment’s notice, often into some of the world’s most inhospitable places, is a skill which WFP has turned into a fine art. Ocean transport forms the backbone of WFP’s transportation system, with some 90 percent of its food moved by ship. But as complex as shipping arrangements can be, that’s just the easy part. The hard bit lies in getting the food from the ships to the people who need it. To achieve this, WFP’s transport officers stretch a logistical lifeline across deserts, mountains and rivers deep into the heart of the world’s poorest countries. If there are no roads or bridges, WFP builds them. Where there’s no landing space for aircraft, it arranges an airdrop. The Programme even rehabilitates entire ports and railways. Once the supply line is secure, WFP brings in its emergency food supplies via wing, wheel and wagon. It uses whatever means are av
