Reconciling these two positions in the current budgetary environment is very difficult. Certainly more effective coordination and wider burdensharing among donors for emergencies is part of the answer. Better planning for complex emergencies, which can extend for many years, is also important. In addition, the Executive Branch and Congress need to develop new mechanisms to provide necessary food aid to cope with sudden-onset emergencies, of which Rwanda is a recent example. Greater flexibility needs to be developed so that necessary resources are available to respond to emergencies without draining away food aid planned for development programs.
Food aid provides the largest share of resources allocated to emergencies.
In the past it has played an important role in the relief to development continuum. For example, in the 1992 drought in Southern Africa, it was programmed to utilize normal commercial channels as well as targeted feeding programs to reach hungry people in their villages, without resort to refugee camps. Local currency was used to provide necessary inputs to encourage an early return to normal agriculture. Equally important, food aid development programs often focus at the grass-roots level, helping to build the food security resilience of the poorest families. When drought or civil strife comes, families which have prepared are better able to weather the crisis.