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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Food, Aid and Relief Development Strategies
Author:Hay, Roger W.ISNI
Year:1989
Periodical:Journal of Social Development in Africa (ISSN 1012-1080)
Volume:4
Issue:2
Pages:7-25
Language:English
Geographic term:Africa
Subjects:rural development
food aid
Development and Technology
Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment
Economics and Trade
international relations
Abstract:This paper explores the usefulness and feasibility of using emergency aid and food aid to stimulate development processes during periods of famine in Africa. It draws attention to the fact that famine is essentially a problem of incomes and employment, and that famine relief should be concerned with short and long-run solutions to low and unstable incomes and declining job prospects. International resource transfers must be directed at stimulating investment processes that lead to sustained rises in rural incomes, from nonagricultural as well as agricultural sources. This implies a broadly based 'relief-development strategy'. The paper stresses the need to diversify sources of rural income and create rural economies in which agriculture is linked with rural services and industries. A relief-development strategy needs to pursue the following objectives: a sustained increase in average household income; a decrease in interannual variations in household income; an increase in the value of household stocks. A number of criteria is presented which can be used to assess the success of famine relief programmes. These criteria, which take into account the need to provide relief for human suffering and the need to contribute to household and community investment, include nutrition and health objectives, the prevention of income erosion, the prevention of 'whole family' migration, consumption objectives, employment objectives, and investment objectives. In conclusion, institutional implications, both for governments and international donors, are discussed. Bibliogr., notes, sum.
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