Cereals, by far the most important component, reached about one tenth of the total cereal imports of developing countries. Whether food aid helps or hinders sustainable development, however, depends principally on the context in which it arrives.
Food aid can constitute a valuable resource which contributes towards reaching development goals.
But it can also be frittered away for short-term political ends, or wasted through poorly conceived programmes and projects which are conducive to increasing social polarisation, corruption, and capital flight. Donor policies are important, but the policies and institutions of recipient States are even more crucial . Japan, Australia, Canada, and the Scandinavian countries were also significant donors. It is useful to distinguish between bilateral and multilateral aid, as well as between programme and project aid, and between aid for emergencies and that designed to support development initiatives. These categories often overlap operationally, but each is associated with particular characteristics and problems.