Sarma, J.S.
(1983)
Contingency planning for famines and other acute food shortages: a brief review.
Documentation.
International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington.
Abstract
Although international and national initiatives related to food security are receiving attention, other issues, such as contingency planning for famines and other acute food shortages, are also important. The adverse effects of these shortages are particularly severe in low-income developing countries and among poorer groups in those countries. Many people have died of famine not because of food production shortages, but because there were serious problems with the food distribution systems, or because vulnerable groups had inadequate purchasing power. Not enough is known about the measures needed to deal with such emergencies in different countries with differing food systems. Food aid from national or international donor agencies can help to augment food supplies in times of acute food shortages, but its proper distribution within a country is the responsibility of national governments. This requires well-developed institutions and infrastructures and appropriate policies. Well-intended food aid sometimes gets diverted from the needy, because the administrative arrangements for the distribution of the aid are lacking. With imaginative policies and management, distress to people can be averted even in years of severe food shortages, as experiences in some countries have shown. This report reviews the roles and functions of international agencies in this field and identifies the areas requiring further work. Appendices provide a list of objective national and global indicators, make recommendations for advance arrangements for improving preparedness, and include a table of selected indicators of the food economy of developing countries
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
![[img]](http://eprints.icrisat.ac.in/style/images/fileicons/application_pdf.png)
