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Food aid in response to acute food insecurity

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  • Barrett, Christopher B.

Abstract

This paper reviews the role of food aid in response to humanitarian emergencies. It outlines a set of basic principles for effective food aid interventions, and analyses a number of case studies in humanitarian response. The paper distinguishes between rapid onset and slow onset emergencies and between 'idiosyncratic' emergencies affecting individuals or households and 'covariate' emergencies affecting entire communities or countries. The lead-time afforded by slow-onset emergencies could be ' but usually is not ' used to mount early interventions aimed at averting full-scale disasters. Emergency response is too heavily dominated by food aid, especially aid sourced in donor countries, to the neglect of more effective and less costly interventions. What's more, idiosyncratic shocks are usually overlooked in humanitarian response. The paper draws a number of 'lessons learned' from recent experience with different types of humanitarian emergencies. It argues that emergency food aid is often a necessary part of humanitarian response to acute food insecurity, but it is rarely sufficient.

Suggested Citation

  • Barrett, Christopher B., 2006. "Food aid in response to acute food insecurity," ESA Working Papers 289057, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Agricultural Development Economics Division (ESA).
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:faoaes:289057
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.289057
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    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/289057/files/a-ag036e.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Christopher B. Barrett, 2005. "Rural poverty dynamics: development policy implications," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 32(s1), pages 45-60, January.
    2. Barrett, Christopher B. & Carter, Michael R., 2002. "Can't Get Ahead for Falling Behind: Development Policy, Poverty, and Relief Traps," Choices: The Magazine of Food, Farm, and Resource Issues, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 17(4), pages 1-4.
    3. Michael Carter & Christopher Barrett, 2006. "The economics of poverty traps and persistent poverty: An asset-based approach," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(2), pages 178-199.
    4. Dasgupta, Partha, 1997. "Nutritional status, the capacity for work, and poverty traps," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 77(1), pages 5-37, March.
    5. Christopher B. Barrett, 2006. "Food Aid as Part of a Coherent Strategy to Advance Food Security Objectives," Working Papers 06-09, Agricultural and Development Economics Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO - ESA).
    6. Barrett, Christopher B., 2002. "Food security and food assistance programs," Handbook of Agricultural Economics, in: B. L. Gardner & G. C. Rausser (ed.), Handbook of Agricultural Economics, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 40, pages 2103-2190, Elsevier.
    7. John Hoddinott, 2006. "Shocks and their consequences across and within households in Rural Zimbabwe," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(2), pages 301-321.
    8. Dercon, Stefan (ed.), 2004. "Insurance Against Poverty," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199276837.
    9. Santos, Paulo & Barrett, Christopher B., 2006. "Informal Insurance in the Presence of Poverty Traps: Evidence from Southern Ethiopia," 2006 Annual Meeting, August 12-18, 2006, Queensland, Australia 25487, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    10. Lawrence Haddad & Stuart Gillespie, 2001. "Effective food and nutrition policy responses to HIV|AIDS: what we know and what we need to know," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(4), pages 487-511.
    11. Christopher B. Barrett & Stein T. Holden & Daniel C. Clay, 2002. "Can Food-for-Work Programmes Reduce Vulnerability?," WIDER Working Paper Series DP2002-24, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
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    Cited by:

    1. Barnett, Barry J. & Barrett, Christopher B. & Skees, Jerry R., 2008. "Poverty Traps and Index-Based Risk Transfer Products," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 36(10), pages 1766-1785, October.
    2. Dimitrios V. Diamantis & Konstantinos Katsas & Christina Maria Kastorini & Lyndsey Mugford & Nadia Dalma & Marsellos Ramizi & Ourania Papapanagiotou & Afroditi Veloudaki & Athena Linos & Matina Kouvar, 2023. "Older People in Emergencies; Addressing Food Insecurity, Health Status and Quality of Life: Evaluating the “365+ Days of Care” Program," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(7), pages 1-14, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Food Security and Poverty;

    JEL classification:

    • F35 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Aid
    • O19 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - International Linkages to Development; Role of International Organizations
    • Q17 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agriculture in International Trade
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy

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