The Evolution of International Food Aid Policy

Abstract

Although individual countries have always helped each other by giving food in emergencies, international food aid on a large scale and as a continuous flow is of relatively recent origin. It began at the end of the Second World War when many countries, particularly in Europe, were unable to feed their people because of poor harvests from devastated or neglected fields and could not afford to pay for food imports. Countries whose agriculture had not suffered from the war felt a moral obligation to help by shipments of food. The USA’s Marshall Plan, of which food aid comprised a substantial part, was a large-scale manifestation of this assistance. A multinational effort was also made by UNRRA under the aegis of the newly-established United Nations Organisation. Later, a similar scheme of international food aid was organised to deal with the consequences of the Korean war or the frequent food shortages in different parts of the world. The assistance programmes mounted for the Sahelian region and Bangladesh are but two recent examples of such relief aid. Although initially designed to deal with emergencies, international food aid has been continued by UNICEF for hungry and malnourished children and their mothers on a permanent basis. Mention should also be made of the achievements over a long period by the International Red Cross and many non-governmental voluntary organisations working in the field of relief through supplying food and other essential commodities.