1983-1984 African food crisis : lessons learned

questionnaire. The experience taught the need to: (1) develop multi-year monetization plans to address the problems underlying the crisis; (2) develop emergency preparedness and food distribution plans and adequate early warning systems; (3) shorten Washington"s response time, improve transportation (especially in land-locked countries), and coordinate donor efforts in assessing food needs and logistical capabilities; (4) process commodities prior to shipment and package edible oil in small containers rather than 50 gallon drums; (5) develop an integrated package of food aid and technical assistance (illustrated best in Ghana); (6) have a competent, authoritative, and well-organized entity manage drought relief operations; (7) publicize the arrival of food imports highly and monitor the supply and distribution of food aid carefully in order to avoid local market disruptions; and (8) have additional staff time at all implementation levels during emergency food shipments. The experience also taught that: country programming capacities vary widely; Title II monetization should be considered for financially strained countries; countries should use feedback from food crises for future planning; and early coordination among donors makes emergency planning more effective.