Why food aid? : surplus disposal, development assistance and basic needs

assistance programs. This report compiles papers by a number of food policy and economics experts on the origin, purpose, impact, and future of the program. Part I includes two papers, the first tracing the divergent political and economic forces behind the evolution of P.L. 480, the program under which most U.S. food aid is provided, the second evaluating professional thought and popular opinion on issues related to food aid. Part II presents three papers from the 1950"s arguing diverse views as to whether the aim of food aid is to promote economic development or to dispose of agricultural surpluses in food-deficit countries. The three papers in Part III stem from the 1970"s, a time when energy and food crises widened the debate over food aid, and treat the moral basis of food aid, the failure of the Bangladesh program to meet the needs of the poor, and the need to reduce the scale of the program drastically. Part IV presents five evaluations of the food aid program over a quarter century (1964-1990). Two of the papers laud the success of food for work, two decry the disincentive effects of food aid, and one argues that development, not surplus disposal, should be the guiding principle of food aid. The four papers in Part V, on food aid reform, date from 1979-1988. Issues covered include the emergence of the European Community as a major source of food aid and the use of food aid to promote agricultural reform, advance economic development, and transfer purchasing power to the poor. Part VI presents two recent papers on the future of food aid, concluding that the question "Why food aid" is yet to be adequately answered.