Emergency aid: a temporary solution

45. Emergency food aid deserves comment, since it is sometimes criticised for not tackling the root causes of hunger. Some view it as a humanitarian activity. Still others perceive it as a development lever, while some even consider it as a trade weapon. It is faulted for: discouraging local farmers; changing feeding habits; being a tool for bringing political pressure to bear by creating dependency; arriving too late; fostering a free hand-out mentality; profiting ultimately only the middlemen; encouraging corruption and not getting through to the poorest people. In some countries food aid is extended endlessly, not without reason, and eventually becomes established as a structural fact. It then becomes a form of permanent balance of payments aid, by reducing the national deficit. This aid can also be provided at a difficult period of structural adjustment, as an accompanying measure after consumption subsidies for basic commodities have been abolished.

Emergency food aid must remain a temporary solution and its purpose is strictly that of enabling people to survive through a crisis. As a humanitarian measure, it cannot in principle be challenged. It is only deviations in food aid that give rise to criticism. Among these criticisms are: it often arrives late or does not meet the real needs; its distribution is poorly organised or misdirected by political orethnic factors or patronage; because of theft and corruption the food does not always reach the poorest people. Other criticisms note that it is sustainable structural aid, that some consider to be a development lever, while others view it as trade weapon, a factor which destabilises production and feeding habits, and causes dependency. In reality, its effects can be both beneficial and harmful. Apart from the fact that it enables whole populations to survive, all its positive aspects — such as the infrastructure work that it makes possible, tripartite transactions, and the build-up of reserves in the developing countries - should not be forgotten. Even if it is a weapon that can be used for good or ill, it cannot be ignored.