ABSTRACT
Since 1954, when the U.S. Congress enacted the Agricultural Trade and Development and Assistance Act (PL480), supply availability and policy considerations in the United States have dominated the international food aid picture. Although the role of other donors has become increasingly important during the past decade, on average the United States still provides around two-thirds of the total amount of cereals food aid. Many of the principles discussed in this chapter pertain regardless of which countries are the major donors. However, the United States would play a crucial part in any international consideration of the responsiveness of food aid to variable food security requirements because of its prominence as a source of supply. The special significance of the following analysis for U.S. food aid policy is thus developed explicitly where it seemed important to do so. Throughout this chapter, discussion is limited to cereals food aid, since cereals are the primary commodity required to offset periodic harvest failures in developing countries.
