Food aid and food security. Contributions of the World Food Programme of the United Nations to solving the hunger crises
Crawshaw, B.
Geographische Rundschau 44(2): 110-114
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0016-7460 Document Number: 342963
It is pointed out that all types of development aid (capital, technical or food), can have damaging effects as well as benefits and that food aid has to be treated as a development resource. Food aid (over $3000 million per year) accounts for about 7%-10% of official development aid and about 55%-60% of it goes to governments of developing countries as general budgetary aid rather than directly to the poor or hungry. About 20% goes as emergency aid to victims of catastrophe and the remaining 20% is spent in support of development projects. Examples are given of these different types of aid. Amounts and proportions provided to different receiving areas in the years 1987-90 are set out as well as net contributions of the OECD in multilateral and bilateral food aid and in direct aid and loans in the years 1985-89. The aims, policies and methods of the World Food Programme are outlined.