Food policy, food aid and structural adjustment programmes : the context of agricultural development

First, in the urgency to achieve short-term objectives, adjustment programs often neglect long-term concerns of sustained growth. Second, the immediate impact of adjustments can lead to a deterioration in the income and nutritional status of the poor. This article emphasizes the need for structural adjustment programs that help set the stage for renewed economic growth and are sensitive to the well-being of the poor. It recommends a strategy of agricultural development to return developing countries to their comparative advantage in the production of labor-intensive goods and to encourage overall growth. Furthermore, it argues for the use of food aid to support that strategy and as a means to protect the poor from the hardships inflicted by adjustment programs. (Author abstract)