European food aid as a tool for relief and development in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Summarized proposals As the African food emergency wanes, there is an urgent need to examine the future role for European Community (EC) food aid in Africa. The provision of emergency aid and support for development raise different issues. However, timely and appropriate responses to emergencies minimize the disruptive effects of food crisis whereas late and then probably excessive responses hamper rehabilitation and involve high r isks of disincentives to local agriculture. Consequently, the EC needs to improve its capacity to respond rapidly and appropriately to food emergencies. The establishment of an initially small operational reserve of commodities under the management of the EC Commission is seen as a necessary element of an effective emergency programme. It would provide support through international channels, such as the International Emergency Food Reserve supporting the actions of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and direct aid to affected countries. The problems to be overcome in establishing such reserves are not so much significant budgetary cost as budgetary practice and overcentralization of responsibility at a political level. These obstacles can be surmounted, if in the wake of recent experiences there is a genuine political commitment to create an effective emergency response capacity within the EC. The greater part of food aid is provided for development and sold in Third World countries. This aid provides balance of payments relief and budgetary support. The historical record for food aid is inconclusive as to the effects on development generally and on agriculture in recipient countries. The implication is that food aid offers opportunities, but realization of these depends on constructive policies on the part of both recipients and donors. Africa poses a particularly difficult problem because of the limited scope for industrial growth, the type of commodities available are not the basic staples of poor and rural consumers, and problems of management. The instability of African food production intensifies further the pressure on limited management capacity spread thinly across so many countries. More careful regard for the long-term economic consequences of developmental aid is required. This makes it imperative that the EC sustains its commitment to food strategies, closely cosrdinating its aid with that of other food donors as part of a long-term relation with recipient governments. A serious problem on the donor side has been a ‘lack of staying power’ as agencies pursue topical initiatives. There has also been a. lack of flexibility particularly in