PL 480 Title II : a study of the impact of a food assistance program in the Philippines

This evaluation is designed to assess the nutritional impact, cost-effectiveness, and achievments of A.I.D.'s P.L. 480, Title II program in the Philippines and to produce information which will enhance the program's effectiveness. It is concluded that the Maternal/Child Health (MCH) and Day Care programs are effective in combatting the highest priority malnutrition (in children under 6), and so have the greatest nutritional impact (as evidenced by weight gains by beneficiaries), but that School Feeding addresses a lower nutritional priority and does so less effectively. MCH and, to a lesser degree, Day Care were also found to the most cost-effective. The Food for Work program, while providing positive and equitable community benefits, failed to have a substantial or sustained impact on individual participant households. More regular delivery of commodities in greater amounts is required for optimum program effectiveness. In future Title II allocations in the Philippines, MCH and Day Care should be accorded the highest priority, followed by the School Feeding and then Food for Work programs until the latter two programs are phased out. Other Child Feeding and Adult Feeding activities lack integrated developmental objectives and should have fifth priority, but on strictly humanitarian grounds. The Snack Food program should have lowest priority, in spite of its revenue-generating potential, since its audience is adequately nourished and more economically advantaged. Lessons learned include the need for better assessment of the long-term impact of supplementary feeding programs and for increased long-term, grass-roots involvement of nutritionists and nutrition planners in Title II decisionmaking. Experience also suggests that programs covering the family as a unit will be more cost-effective than those benefiting children alone.