Beyond Emergency Relief: Evaluating and Reforming International Food Aid Programs for Sustainable Food Security

Malnutrition and hunger affected 828 million people in 2021, an increase of about 46 million from the year earlier and 150 million from 2019. This literature review investigates the benefits and limitations of international food aid programs in addressing malnutrition. We focused on the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United States Aid for International Development (USAID), because both programs are influential powers in the world of food aid. To best examine these two programs, we focused on three countries severely impacted by conflict, economic instability, and environmental challenges that were highly malnourished and in need of food aid: Yemen, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. WFP and USAID were also extremely active in these areas, which helped us best investigate the effect these food aid programs had. We collected data from over seventy sources and reviewed forty articles in-depth while assessing program objectives, implementation strategies, outcomes, strengths, limitations, and influencing factors. The findings reveal that while both programs provide critical short-term relief, they face significant challenges, including logistical barriers, political constraints, and limited funding. Therefore, our solution values interconnectedness, equity, and education. It is imperative for governments to take the initiative to promote education on hunger and malnutrition while changing policies to promote open food trade and equitable produce access. These policies include regulation of the school environment, food reformation, and support for informed consumer choices, all proven to be effective. Our solution provides more long-term benefits to communities suffering from malnutrition than food projects initiated by international programs like WFP and USAID. This analysis can help to overall improve the world of food aid and assist in goal two of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: having zero hunger by 2030.