Addresssing International Food Aid and Security

In an environment of increasing emergencies, growing global food insecurity, unprecedented commodity price increases, and related market, social, and political impacts, the U.S. government, other donors, poor-country governments, and international institutions are facing intense pressure to feed the world's expanding undernourished population.

• For decades, the U.S. government has set goals to improve the effectiveness of U.S. food aid and reaching global targets for reducing hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. Yet interventions designed to mitigate the factors that contribute to food insecurity have been fragmented and uncoordinated across the U.S. government.
• nsuring that food aid reaches the most vulnerable populations is critical to enhancing its effectiveness. Yet we found that estimates of emergency food needs have differed significantly and in some cases, have resulted in delays in responding to crises with sufficient food and complementary assistance. We have also found that unreliable market information and poorly functioning or unintegrated markets can cause adverse impacts on local or regional markets where food aid is purchased.

  Highlights of GAO-07-560 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-09-570 (PDF)

• Although U.S. agencies made efforts to improve the nutritional quality of food aid, the appropriate nutritional value of the food and the readiness of U.S. agencies to address nutrition-related quality issues remained uncertain. We also have reported on concerns about the quality of food procured in developing countries and adherence to certain product specifications.

  Highlights of GAO-07-560 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-09-570 (PDF)

• Monitoring and evaluation are critical oversight and program management tools that could help ensure that strategic objectives and intermediate goals of international food assistance programs are met. However, we have found that USAID lacks a comprehensive plan for monitoring and evaluating nonemergency food aid. We also found that while USAID's Office of Food for Peace has initiated an upgrade of its information technology system, its plans lack a concept of operations document that communicates overall system characteristics.

  Highlights of GAO-09-980 (PDF)

• ood aid procurement and transportation are costly and time-consuming. Despite increases in U.S. funding for emergencies, the tonnage of food aid delivered to the hungry continues to decline. We found that local and regional procurement of food is generally more cost-effective and timely than U.S. in-kind food aid. However, certain legal requirements for U.S. food aid, such as the requirement to procure only U.S.-grown agricultural commodities and to transport those commodities on U.S.-flag vessels, known as "cargo preference," may constrain U.S. agencies' use of local and regional procurement.

  Highlights of GAO-07-560 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-09-570 (PDF)

^ Back to topWhat Needs to Be Done

To enhance the impact that local and regional procurement can have on the efficiency of food aid delivery and the economies of countries where food is purchased, USAID should

• collect evidence on local and regional food procurement's adherence to quality standards and product specifications,
• work with implementing partners to improve market intelligence in areas where U.S.-funded local and regional procurement of food aid occurs, and
• work with the Secretaries of Agriculture and Transportation and relevant parties to expedite updating the memorandum of understanding to minimize the cost impact of cargo preference regulations on food aid transportation expenditures.

Highlights of GAO-09-570 (PDF)

To facilitate the implementation of ongoing efforts to improve monitoring and evaluation and ensure effective program management of nonemergency food aid, USAID should

• develop a concept of operations document to help reduce the risks associated with efforts to upgrade the Food for Peace management information system,
• establish an integrated monitoring and evaluation plan to ensure effective management of nonemergency food aid programs

  Highlights of GAO-09-980 (PDF)

To address global food insecurity and accelerate progress toward halving world hunger by 2015, USAID should

• work in collaboration with other agencies to develop an integrated strategy for achieving food security in sub-Saharan Africa and,
• prepare and submit an annual report to Congress detailing progress on these efforts.

  Highlights of GAO-08-680 (PDF)

To address global food insecurity and accelerate progress toward halving world hunger by 2015, USAID should

• update implementation and reimbursement methodologies for transportation of U.S. food aid

  Highlights of GAO-07-560 (PDF)

^ Back to topKey Reports

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