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Food Aid Programs: Sustaining Impacts after Program Exit
Author(s) -
Rogers Beatrice Lorge,
Coates Jennifer,
Houk Katie,
Kegode Elizabeth
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.269.6
Subject(s) - beneficiary , sustainability , incentive , business , government (linguistics) , incentive program , qualitative property , qualitative research , food aid , capacity building , food security , economic growth , environmental planning , finance , economics , agriculture , geography , ecology , social science , linguistics , philosophy , archaeology , machine learning , sociology , computer science , biology , microeconomics
One of the persistent challenges to food assistance programs is to ensure that the positive impacts achieved by the programs are sustained after the programs end. The present study reviews experiences of three countries with PL480 Title II programs in the two years after the food was withdrawn: Bolivia, Kenya, and Honduras. Qualitative data were collected at exit and one year later. Key factors predicting sustainable impacts include visible positive change in the beneficiary communities; an assured source of resources from profits, user fees, or government budgets (depending on government resources and capacity). Both visible benefit and assured resources were necessary for sustainability. Programs were more sustainable if the participants were trained in both technical and managerial aspects of their activities. Gradual exit produced more sustainable activities and impacts than more abrupt departure. The use of food as an incentive for participation risks creating unsustainable expectations among beneficiaries. The study will conclude with a third round of qualitative and quantitative data collection in the summer of 2011. Funding was from USAID Food for Peace through the FANTA2 Program.