Impact of food aid on household food security : empirical evidence

Many researchers and food aid analysts have conducted several studies on the food aid issues for the last five decades. This paper critically reviews the different food aid literatures in order to examine the impact of food aid on food security of the recipient. The empirical findings show that food aid has both positive and negative effects. It facilitates the attainment of food security through improving production, increasing the choice for consumption, constructing infrastructure services, creating employment and so forth. However, it also retards the achievement of food security through labour supply and production disincentive effects, and dependence syndrome. It is less likely to conclude the net effect of food aid on food security using the existing studies. In order to produce research output that shows the net effect of food aid on food security, there should be comprehensive and advance studies (e.g. CGE) that accommodate multi-countries, multi-activities, and multi-programs and factors.