Issues in the Provision of Food Aid Following Disasters.

Abstract

Fach year, thousands of tons of food are provided to disaster-hit developing countries, primarily be means of food aid programs such as the U.S. Food for Peace (P1.480) Program and the World Food Program of the United Nations. In the past, in-depth needs assessment and evaluation studies of the real impact of these programs on the societies they tire intended to help have been virtually non-existent. Recent experience and a growing understanding of the problems involved in the provision of food aid indicate that the strategies used and the basic assumptions under which these programs operate should be evaluated and revised. Increased awareness of the types of clisasters, of their effect on local food production and distribution systems, and of the options available to meet the needs of the affected population could substantiallv reduce the incidence of massive food importation and its negative impact on a developing society.