2009

FOOD AID FLOWS

 2009 Food Aid Flows

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD................................................................................................................................... 3

Explanatory Notes........................................................................................................................... 4

Acronyms ........................................................................................................................................ 7

2009 GLOBAL FOOD AID DELIVERIES ...................................................................................... 8

GLOBAL FOOD AID PROFILE ..................................................................................................... 9

1. OVERVIEW ......................................................................................................................... 10

2. FOOD AID DONORS .......................................................................................................... 12

3. FOOD AID CHANNELS ..................................................................................................... 15

3.1 Food aid deliveries by channel ................................................................................. 15
3.2 Multilateral food aid ................................................................................................... 16
3.3 Bilateral food aid ....................................................................................................... 16
3.4 Food aid channelled through NGOs ......................................................................... 18

4. FOOD AID PRODUCTS ..................................................................................................... 19

5. FOOD AID DELIVERY ....................................................................................................... 21

5.1 Delivery modes.......................................................................................................... 21
5.2 Terms of delivery ....................................................................................................... 23
5.3 Food aid sales .................................................................................................................... 24

6. FOOD AID CATEGORIES ................................................................................................. 26

6.1 Global perspective .................................................................................................... 26
6.2 Emergency food aid .................................................................................................. 27
6.3 Project food aid ......................................................................................................... 29
6.4 Programme food aid.................................................................................................. 31

7. REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES ........................................................................................... 33

7.1 Sub-Saharan Africa .................................................................................................. 34
7.2 Asia .........................................................................................................................36
7.3 Latin America and the Caribbean ............................................................................. 38
7.4 Eastern Europe and the CIS ..................................................................................... 40
7.5 Middle East and North Africa .................................................................................... 42
7.6 Food aid recipient countries ................................................................................... ...44

8. THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF FOOD AID ..................................................................... 46

8.1 Food Aid Flows and IRMAt ..................................................................................... ...47

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 2009 Food Aid Flows

TABLES
Table 1 – Global Food Aid Deliveries (1990–2009) in million mt ........................................................ 10
Table 2 – Global Food Aid Profile of Main Donors in 2009 (percentage) ............................................ 14
Table 3 – 2008/2009 Global Food Aid Deliveries by Commodity Group ............................................. 20
Table 4 – 2008/2009 Global Food Aid Deliveries by Delivery Mode and Category ........................... 23
Table 5 – 2008/2009 Global Food Aid Deliveries by Category and Delivery Mode ............................ 27
Table 6 – 2008/2009 Emergency Food Aid Deliveries by Region ....................................................... 28
Table 7 – 2008/2009 Major Recipients of Emergency Food Aid ......................................................... 28
Table 8 – 2008/2009 Project Food Aid Deliveries by Region .............................................................. 29
Table 9 – 2008/2009 Major Recipients of Project Food Aid ................................................................ 30
Table 10 – 2008/2009 Programme Food Aid Deliveries by Region .................................................... 31
Table 11 – 2008/2009 Major Recipients of Programme Food Aid ...................................................... 32
Table 12 – 2008/2009 Global Food Aid Deliveries: Regional Perspectives ........................................ 33
Table 13 – 2008/2009 Food Aid Deliveries to Sub-Saharan Africa ..................................................... 35
Table 14 – 2008/2009 Food Aid Deliveries to Asia ............................................................................. 37
Table 15 – 2008/2009 Food Aid Deliveries to Latin America and the Caribbean ............................... 39
Table 16 – 2008/2009 Food Aid Deliveries to Eastern Europe and CIS ............................................. 41
Table 17 – 2008/2009 Food Aid Deliveries to Middle East and North Africa ...................................... 43
Table 18 – Global Food Aid Profile of Main Recipients in 2009 (percentage) .................................... 45
FIGURES
Figure 1 – Global Food Aid Deliveries (1990–2009) ............................................................................. 10
Figure 2 – Donor Governments and Their Food Aid Delivered (1990–2009) ..................................... 12
Figure 3 – Breakdown by Donor in 2009 ............................................................................................. 12
Figure 4 – Food Aid Deliveries by Donor (United States of America–European Union)
(1990–2009) ................................................................................................................. 13
Figure 5 – Food Aid Deliveries by Donor (Japan–United Nations–Canada–Saudi Arabia)
(1990–2009) ................................................................................................................. 13
Figure 6 – Food Aid Deliveries by Channel (2000–2009) ................................................................... 15
Figure 7 – 2009 Food Aid Deliveries by Channel ................................................................................ 15
Figure 8 – 2009 Multilateral Food Aid by Region ............................................................................... 16
Figure 9 – 2009 Bilateral Food Aid by Region ..................................................................................... 17
Figure 10 – 2009 Food Aid Delivered through NGOs by Region ....................................................... 18
Figure 11 – 2009 Food Aid Composition by Product ........................................................................... 19
Figure 12 – 2009 Global Food Aid Deliveries by Food Type .............................................................. 19
Figure 13 – Food Aid by Delivery Mode (1990–2009) ......................................................................... 21
Figure 14 – 2009 Local and Triangular Purchases by Region ............................................................ 22
Figure 15 – Food Aid Deliveries by Terms of Delivery (1990–2009) ................................................. 23
Figure 16 – Distributed Food Aid as Percentage of Total (1990–2009) .............................................. 24
Figure 17 – Food Aid Deliveries by Market Sales (1990–2009) ......................................................... 24
Figure 18 – Food Aid Deliveries by Category (1990–2009) ............................................................... 26
Figure 19 – 2009 Food Aid Deliveries by Category ............................................................................. 26
Figure 20 – 2009 Emergency Food Aid by Major Donor ..................................................................... 29
Figure 21 – 2009 Project Food Aid by Major Donor ............................................................................ 30
Figure 22 – 2009 Programme Food Aid by Major Donor .................................................................... 32
Figure 23 – Breakdown of 2008 and 2009 Food Aid Deliveries by Region………. ............................. 33
Figure 24 – Food Aid Deliveries to Sub-Saharan Africa (1990–2009) ................................................ 34
Figure 25 – Food Aid Deliveries to Sub-Saharan Africa by Category (1990–2009) ........................... 35
Figure 26 – Food Aid Deliveries to Asia (1990–2009)......................................................................... 36
Figure 27 – Food Aid Deliveries to Asia by Category (1990–2009) .................................................... 37
Figure 28 – Food Aid Deliveries to Latin America and the Caribbean (1990–2009) ........................... 38
Figure 29 – Food Aid Deliveries to Latin America and the Caribbean by Category (1990–2009) ...... 39
Figure 30 – Food Aid Deliveries to Eastern Europe and CIS (1990–2009) ........................................ 40
Figure 31 – Food Aid Deliveries to Eastern Europe and CIS by Category (1990–2009) .................... 41
Figure 32 – Food Aid Deliveries to Middle East and North Africa (1990–2009) ................................. 42
Figure 33 – Food Aid Deliveries to Middle East and North Africa by Category (1990–2009) ............. 43
Figure 34 – IRMAt Macronutrients .................................................................................................. 47
Figure 35 – IRMAt Micronutrients ................................................................................................... 48
Figure 36 – IRMAt by Recipient Country ............................................................................................. 48
Figure 37 – IRMAt by Food Type .................................................................................................... 49

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 2009 Food Aid Flows

FOREWORD

Global food aid deliveries of 5.7 million mt in 2009 were the lowest since 1961: programme food
aid declined by 25 percent, emergency food aid by 12 percent and project food aid by 6 percent.

The declining trend in food aid contrasts with the rapid increase in recent years in official
development assistance, which rose in real terms from US$107 billion in 2005 – itself an historic
high – to US$119.8 billion in 2008, the highest level ever, and US$119.6 billion in 2009.

Estimates of global hunger suggest that 1.02 billion people were undernourished in 2009 – the
highest number on record. The global economic crisis and rising food prices have contributed to
the surge in world hunger, which was exacerbated by 245 natural disasters affecting 58 million
people; extreme weather linked to climate change is likely to increase people’s vulnerability.

The annual WFP Food Aid Flows Report gives an overview of trends in global food aid deliveries
by governments, non-governmental organizations and WFP.

I would like to express my particular appreciation to all partners of the International Food Aid
Information System for making this report possible: without their collaboration – particularly the
exchange of information on food aid allocation, utilization, shipments and deliveries – the
International Food Aid Information System would not be able to function.

This report and some additional tables can be found on the International Food Aid Information
System website (http://www.wfp.org/fais). Enquiries and requests for updated and additional
information may be directed to Ms Angela D’Ascenzi (tel. +39 06 6513 3709) and Ms Kartini
Oppusunggu (tel. +39 06 6513 3068; e-mail: interfais@wfp.org).

Rebecca Hansen
Director
Performance and Accountability Management Division

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 2009 Food Aid Flows

Explanatory Notes

INTERFAIS

Data on global food aid deliveries in metric tons are from the database of the International Food
Aid Information System (INTERFAIS), which was developed by WFP as a contribution to a
coordinated international response to food aid shortages. INTERFAIS users are donor
governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), recipient
countries and WFP field offices, which share data on food aid transactions. All information,
which goes back to 1988, is cross-checked and continuously updated, making it possible to
monitor food aid allocations and deliveries with a view to improving food aid management,
coordination, reporting and statistical analysis.

CONCEPTS
Food aid categories
o Emergency food aid is for victims of disasters. It is distributed free to targeted
beneficiary groups, and is usually provided as a grant. It is channelled multilaterally
through NGOs or bilaterally.
o Project food aid supports poverty reduction and disaster prevention. It is usually
distributed free to targeted beneficiary groups; if it is sold on the market it is then referred
to as “monetized” food aid. Project food aid is provided as a grant and is channelled
multilaterally through NGOs or bilaterally.
o Programme food aid is usually supplied by one government to another as a resource
transfer for balance-of-payments or budgetary support. Unlike most emergency or project
food aid it is not directed to beneficiary groups but is sold on the market and provided as
a grant or a loan.
o Food aid delivery refers to the amount of food that actually reaches a recipient country in
a given period. It is not the same as shipment data and food aid distributed to
beneficiaries. In this publication, deliveries are reported by calendar year and may have
been earmarked, shipped or purchased during the previous calendar year.

Priority country groups

o Low-income, food-deficit countries (LIFDCs) are net cereal-importing countries. Per
capita gross national product is used by the World Bank to determine eligibility for
assistance from the International Development Association and for International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development 20-year terms. In 2008, the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) classified 82 countries as LIFDCs (see:
www.fao.org/countryprofiles/lifdc.asp?lang=en)
o Least-developed countries (LDCs) are low-income countries with long-term impediments
to growth such as low levels of human resources and economic vulnerability. In 2007,
49 countries were classified as LDCs by the General Assembly of the United Nations
(see: www.un.org/special-rep/ohrlls/ldc/list.htm)

Delivery modes
Items delivered as food aid fall into three categories according to the transactions used to acquire
them:
o Local purchase means food aid purchased, distributed and utilized in the recipient
country.
o Triangular purchase refers to food that donors purchase in a third country for use as
food aid in a recipient country.
o Direct transfer means food aid delivered directly from donor countries to recipient
countries.

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 2009 Food Aid Flows

Sale of food items

Food items provided as food aid may be distributed directly to targeted beneficiaries or sold on
the market. Food delivered as programme food aid, which is often provided as balance of
payments support, is usually sold on the market but is not the same as monetized project or
emergency food aid. In many cases, food-aid sales transactions within the recipient country have,
in their own right, been an important development tool to finance transport of the remaining food
or for other activities.

Terms of delivery
Food aid is usually provided as a grant, but may be delivered under concessional terms of sale as
defined in the register of food aid transactions kept by the FAO Consultative Subcommittee on
Surplus Disposal. The underlying principle is that the conditions of the transactions must be more
favourable to the “recipient” than those in world markets. The 1999 Food Aid Convention set a
ceiling on any donor’s contribution in the form of concessional sales, which is fixed at 20 percent
of each Food Aid Convention member’s total commitment.

VARIABLES

Year
The calendar year (January to December) in which food aid is delivered to a recipient country.
Donor
A primary provider of food aid from its own resources (since 1988).
Recipient
A country that receives food aid (since 1988).
Food type
The foods delivered as food aid or purchased locally.

UNITS OF MEASUREMENT

Actual tonnage
The amount of food delivered, in metric tons (mt, 1,000 kg).
Grain equivalent
The grain equivalent for food derived from cereals is the tonnage of grain needed to obtain a
given amount of the product.
Nutritional indicators
These are indicators based on the nutritional requirements for energy and 13 macro- and micro-
nutrients, or j-nutrients: protein, fat, iron, iodine, zinc, thiamine, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin
B6, vitamin B9 (folic acid), vitamin B12 and niacin (see: www.wfp.org/fais/nutritional-reporting)

o IRMA means “individual requirements met on average”. It provides information about

the nutritional value of 1 mt, allowing for comparisons between deliveries without
reference to the scale of total deliveries. It is the number of people for whom the
requirements for each nutrient could potentially be satisfied with a representative 1 mt of
the food basket.
o IRMAs means “individual requirements met on average, score”. It is a single number that
provides information on the balance of the food basket implicit in the food aid deliveries.
It gives the average of the 13 IRMA values of the selected deliveries, one for each
nutrient, as a percentage of the IRMA value for energy. No weightings are applied, but

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 2009 Food Aid Flows

maximum values are imposed so that outliers do not unduly influence the average. This
indicator is restricted to the interval [0–100] and excess quantities are penalized.
o IRMAt means “individual requirements met on average, total”. It provides information
about the scale of food aid in terms of the number of people for whom the requirements
for each nutrient are potentially met on the basis of the tonnage delivered/selected.
o IRMAtj shows the total number of people whose nutritional requirements for each j-
nutrient could potentially be satisfied for one year on the basis of the total tonnage
selected/delivered to the country.
o IRMAj scales IRMAtj down to 1 mt by dividing IRMAtj by the total tonnage selected for
the country: this allows easy comparisons among different food aid deliveries by
eliminating the quantity component of IRMAt.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Other foods are expressed in actual quantities.

Geographical regions defined in the statistical tables are available at www.wfp.org/fais.

Totals reported in this document are rounded and so may not add up exactly.

Data for 2009 are provisional.

The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not
imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the World Food Programme
concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of their authorities, or
concerning the delimitation of frontiers or boundaries.

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 2009 Food Aid Flows

ACRONYMS

CIS Commonwealth of Independent States

DPRK Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
DRC Democratic Republic of the Congo
EC European Commission
EU European Union
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
INTERFAIS International Food Aid Information System
IRMA individual requirements met on average
LDC least-developed country
LIFDC low-income, food-deficit country
NGO non-governmental organization
USA United States of America

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 2009 Food Aid Flows

2009 GLOBAL FOOD AID DELIVERIES1

million mt

Global food aid 5.7

By category Emergency 4.3
Project 1.2
Programme 0.2

By food type Cereals 4.9

Non-cereals 0.8

By mode Local purchase 0.9

Triangular purchase 1.9
Direct transfer 2.8

By sale Sold 0.4

Distributed 5.3

By channel Multilateral 4.0

Bilateral 0.4
NGOs 1.4

By recipient region
Sub-Saharan Africa 3.6
Asia 1.4
Latin America and the Caribbean 0.3
Middle East and North Africa 0.3
Eastern Europe and CIS* 0.1

By donor United States of America 2.9

EC** and Member States (EU***) 1.0
United Nations agencies 0.4
Japan 0.4
Canada 0.2
Australia 0.1
Other donors 0.8
*
Commonwealth of Independent States
**
European Commission
***
European Union

1
Global food aid deliveries encompass food aid from all sources, including WFP.

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 2009 Food Aid Flows

GLOBAL FOOD AID PROFILE

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009*
Food aid deliveries (million mt)

Global food aid deliveries 8.3 7.0 6.0 6.5 5.7

WFP share of total 4.5 3.8 3.1 4.0 3.8

Food aid delivered by type

Cereals 7.1 5.9 5.2 5.5 4.9
Non-cereals 1.2 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.8

Global food aid deliveries (%)

Procurement in developing countries 29 35 39 33 32

Deliveries by channel

Bilateral 23 21 22 10 6
Multilateral 54 54 54 64 70
NGOs 23 25 24 26 24
Food aid deliveries by category

Emergency 63 61 62 76 76
Project 23 24 23 19 20
Programme 14 15 15 5 4
Food aid deliveries by region

Sub-Saharan Africa 56 57 53 64 64
Asia 30 20 29 23 23
Eastern Europe and CIS 4 6 5 2 2
Latin America and the Caribbean 8 9 6 5 5
Middle East and North Africa 3 7 6 6 6
Deliveries to

Developing countries 99.1 99.4 97.7 98.2 97.6

LDCs 60.3 58.3 53.3 51.5 45.2
LIFDCs 93.9 89.1 90.7 92.8 90.3
Total cereal food aid deliveries as % of

World cereal production 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2

World cereal imports** 2.5 2.0 1.7 1.8 1.6
Cereals food aid deliveries to LIFDC as % of

LIFDCs cereal production 0.7 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.4

LIFDCs cereal imports** 8.4 6.5 6.3 6.9 6.1

* 2009 data are provisional.

** 2007, 2008 and 2009 cereal imports are estimates.

Source: INTERFAIS, FAO/ FAOSTAT April 2010.

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 2009 Food Aid Flows

1. OVERVIEW

Global food aid deliveries reached a record low of 5.7 million mt in 2009, a decrease of
12 percent compared with 2008. The annual tonnage delivered has declined since 1999
(see Figure 1 and Table 1).

Figure 1
Global Food Aid Deliveries (1990–2009)

18
16
14
Million mt

12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1992

1994

1995

1997

1999

2000

2002

2003

2005

2007

2008
1990

1991

1993

1996

1998

2001

2004

2006

2009
Table 1 – Global Food Aid Deliveries (1990–2009) in million mt

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
13.2 12.7 15.3 17.3 12.9 10.2 7.2 7.3 8.4 15.0 11.3 10.9 9.4 10.2 7.3 8.3 7.0 6.0 6.5 5.7

The main recipient countries are in sub-Saharan Africa: they receive 64 percent of food
aid deliveries. A decline in food aid deliveries is reported in other regions.

The top eight recipient countries, accounting for 55 percent of total food aid deliveries,
are Ethiopia (17 percent), the Sudan (9 percent), Somalia and the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea (DPRK) (6 percent), Kenya (5 percent) and Afghanistan, Pakistan and
Zimbabwe (4 percent).

In 2009, five major donor governments provided 71 percent of food aid deliveries –
Canada, the EC, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the United States of America. Food aid
deliveries from the remaining 50 donors decreased by 21 percent compared with 2008.
The amount of food aid directly distributed to targeted beneficiaries (not “monetized”)
continued to rise, accounting for 92 percent of total deliveries; in 1999, the figure was
45 percent.

In 2009, all food aid was provided on a full-grant basis, the same as in 2008. Food aid
purchased in developing countries accounted for 1.8 million mt (32 percent), a 2 percent
decrease compared with 2008.

Emergency food aid remained the predominant category, accounting for 76 percent of
total deliveries, of which WFP provided 67 percent; the total tonnage decreased by
600,000 mt compared with 2008. Programme food aid, which accounted for 52 percent of

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 2009 Food Aid Flows

food aid in 1999, continued its gradual decline to the 4 percent share in 2009. Project
food aid, which accounted for 20 percent of global food aid, decreased by 80,000 mt
compared with 2008.

The multilateral channel continued to increase to a 70 percent share of global food aid
deliveries, an increase from 27 percent in 1999. Bilateral food aid accounted for 6 percent
of total deliveries, well below its 2008 share. Food aid channelled through NGOs
accounted for 24 percent of global food aid, as in the past two years.

WFP’s new indicators for measuring the number of people whose nutritional
requirements could potentially be met from global food aid deliveries showed that food
aid delivered in 2009 potentially provided calories to feed 25.9 million people but
provided iodine requirements for only 749,000 people.

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 2009 Food Aid Flows

2. FOOD AID DONORS

The number of donor governments remained at 55 in 2009, despite the decline in global
food aid deliveries (see Figure 2). Their funding provided 89 percent of global food aid.
Of the 55 donor governments that donated in 2009, 33 donated less than 10,000 mt.

Figure 2
Donor Governments and Their Food Aid Delivered
(1990–2009)
60 20
18
50
16
No. of Donor Governments

14
40

Million mt
12
30 10
8
20
6

4
10
2
0 0
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009
Absolute no. of donors Food aid deliveries

In 2009 the top five donor governments were, in order, the United States of America,
Japan, the EC, Saudi Arabia and Canada; they accounted for 71 percent of food aid
deliveries (see Figure 3).

Figure 3
Breakdown by Donor in 2009

European Union
17%
Japan
7%

United Nations
8%

United States of America

51% Saudi Arabia
4%

Canada
4%

Others
9%

The combined share of the United States of America and the EU decreased from
70 percent in 2008 to 68 percent in 2009. The share of the former accounted for 51

12
 2009 Food Aid Flows

percent of food aid deliveries compared with 52 percent in 2008. The aggregated decline
in deliveries by the EU from 19 percent in 2008 to 17 percent in 2009 (see Figure 4) was
partly a result of the reduced share from the EC. Other governments contributed 32
percent of global food aid deliveries, a decline of 5 percent compared with 2008.

Figure 4
Food Aid Deliveries by Donor
(United States of America–European Union)
(1990–2009)

12

10
Million mt

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008
United States of America European Union

Figure 5 shows that Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the United Nations increased their
food aid deliveries in 2009.

Figure 5
Food Aid Deliveries by Donor
(Japan–United Nations–Canada–Saudi Arabia)
(1990–2009)

1.2

1.0
Million mt

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0.0
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Canada Japan Saudi Arabia United Nations

The six main donors in 2008 (see Table 2) continued to fund 79 percent of food aid
deliveries. United Nations agencies accounted for 8 percent of food aid flows, an increase
of 47 percent compared with 2008, mainly as a result of the growth of United Nations

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 2009 Food Aid Flows

pooled funding facilities such as the Central Emergency Response Fund and the Common
Humanitarian Fund.

Table 2 – Global Food Aid Profile of Main Donors in 2009 (percentage)

European Saudi United United States

Canada Japan
Commission Arabia Nations of America

FOOD AID CATEGORY

Emergency 81 90 37 95 92 72
Project 19 10 8 5 8 28
Programme – – 55 – – –
FOOD TYPE
Cereals 92 86 94 81 87 84
Non–cereals 8 14 6 19 13 16
SALE
Distributed 100 100 47 100 100 93
Sold – – 53 – – 7
RECIPIENT REGION
Sub-Saharan Africa 82 46 74 66 47 73
Asia 14 17 19 18 32 19
Eastern Europe & CIS 0 2 3 – 2 1
Middle East & North Africa 2 32 3 15 15 2
Latin America & the Caribbean 2 3 2 1 4 6
TERMS OF DELIVERY
Grant 100 100 100 100 100 100
Concessional–sales – – – – – –
FOOD AID CHANNELS
Bilateral – 0 55 0 – –
Multilateral 68 99 45 100 100 61
NGOs 32 1 – 0 – 39
DELIVERY MODES
Direct transfer 21 3 62 3 2 80
Local purchase 23 31 12 18 38 4
Triangular purchase 57 66 27 79 60 16

Food aid deliveries were also provided by NGOs, inter-governmental organizations and
private donors. In 2009, NGOs delivered 2 percent of total food aid, compared with 1
percent in 2008. Inter-governmental organizations decreased their share from 1.8 percent
to 0.6 percent; the private sector increased its share from 0.5 percent to 0.7 percent.

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 2009 Food Aid Flows

3. FOOD AID CHANNELS

3.1 Food aid deliveries by channel

The decline in global food aid deliveries occurred predominantly in bilateral food aid.
Compared with 2008, bilateral food aid deliveries fell by 45 percent, food aid channelled
through NGOs fell by 18 percent and multilateral food aid fell by 4 percent.

Figure 6
Food Aid Deliveries by Channel (2000–2009)

100%

90%

80%

70%
Percentage

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Bilateral Multilateral NGOs

Donors’ commitment to multilateral food aid grew by two thirds between 2003 and 2009
to address the challenges of food security. After 2003 the share of bilateral food aid was
between 20 percent and 23 percent; the share of food aid channelled through NGOs was
between 24 percent and 26 percent (see Figure 6 and Figure 7).

Figure 7
2009 Food Aid Deliveries by Channel

NGOs
24%

Multilateral
70%

Bilateral
6%

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 2009 Food Aid Flows

3.2 Multilateral food aid

Global food aid channelled multilaterally reached 70 percent in 2009, its highest share,
equivalent to 4 million mt. Of this, 96 percent was channelled through WFP. Other
United Nations agencies acting as channels were the United Nations Children’s Fund and
the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

Emergency food aid accounted for 91 percent of multilateral food aid deliveries. The
remaining 9 percent was distributed as programme and project food aid.

Figure 8 shows that 64 percent of multilateral food aid in 2009 was delivered to sub-
Saharan Africa, 22 percent to Asia, 9 percent to the Middle East and North Africa,
3 percent to Latin America and the Caribbean and 2 percent to Eastern Europe and the
CIS.

Figure 8
2009 Multilateral Food Aid by Region

Sub-Saharan Af rica
64%

Eastern Europe & CIS

2%

Latin America & the Caribbean

3%

Middle East & North Africa

9%

Asia
22%

The United States of America contributed 44 percent of multilateral food aid, the EU
23 percent, the United Nations 11 percent, Saudi Arabia 6 percent and Canada 4 percent.

The five major recipients of multilateral food aid in 2009 were Ethiopia (16 percent;
12 percent in 2008), the Sudan (12 percent; 15 percent in 2008), Somalia and Kenya
(7 percent) and Pakistan (6 percent). Together they accounted for 48 percent of
multilateral deliveries.

The preference for procuring food aid locally or through triangular purchases in
developing countries remained high: the data for 2009 show that 86 percent of local
purchases and 98 percent of triangular purchases were channelled multilaterally.

3.3 Bilateral food aid

In 2009, bilateral food aid fell to 369,000 mt compared with 600,000 mt in 2008,
accounting for 6 percent of global food aid deliveries.

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 2009 Food Aid Flows

Bilateral food aid is supplied on a government-to-government basis and is mainly related

to programme food aid.2 In 2009, 65 percent of bilateral food aid was earmarked for
programme food aid; 35 percent was earmarked for emergency food aid.

Bilateral food aid was largely directed to sub-Saharan Africa (55 percent) and Asia
(42 percent). A gradual disappearance of bilateral food aid was reported in Eastern
Europe and the CIS and the Middle East and North Africa; it has disappeared in Latin
America and the Caribbean.

Figure 9
2009 Bilateral Food Aid by Region

Sub-Saharan Af rica
55%

Eastern Europe & CIS

3%

Middle East & North Africa

0.44%

Asia
42%

The DPRK remained the largest recipient of bilateral food aid, receiving 34 percent.
Other major recipients were the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Maldives,
Mozambique and Togo. Bilateral food aid was channelled to 27 countries, one less than
in 2008.

China contributed 60 percent of global bilateral food aid in 2009; Japan contributed
34 percent; the EU contributed 4 percent. The United States of America shifted its focus
to multilateral contributions or food aid channelled through NGOs.

Ninety-five percent of food aid channelled bilaterally resulted from direct transfers. The
share of bilateral food aid procured locally or under triangular transactions decreased by
10 percentage points to 5 percent in 2009.

2008 was an exceptional year in which beneficiaries received 53 percent of bilateral food
aid. In 2009, bilateral food aid continued to be primarily sold on the market; 62 percent of
bilateral food aid was monetized, compared with 47 percent in 2008.

2
For details of food aid categories, see the Explanatory Notes.

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 2009 Food Aid Flows

3.4 Food aid channelled through NGOs

In 2009, 1.4 million mt of food aid was channelled through NGOs, a decrease of
300,000 mt compared with 2008; its share fell from 26 percent to 24 percent.

Emergency food aid accounted for 42 percent of global food aid channelled through
NGOs, compared with 51 percent in 2008. The share of project food aid increased to
58 percent.

Eighty-four percent of food aid channelled through NGOs was freely distributed to
targeted beneficiaries. The remaining 16 percent, made up of 98 percent project food aid
and 2 percent emergency food aid, was sold on the market.

Sub-Saharan Africa received 64 percent of the food aid delivered through NGOs, a
13 percent decrease compared with 2008. The remaining food aid channelled through
NGOs was distributed in Asia (24 percent; 18 percent in 2008), Latin America and the
Caribbean and Europe and the CIS (11 percent; 13 percent in 2008), and the Middle East
and North Africa (0.4 percent) (see Figure 10).

Figure 10
2009 Food Aid Delivered through NGOs by Region

Sub-Saharan Af rica
64%

Eastern Europe & CIS

1%

Latin America & the Caribbean

11%

Middle East & North Africa

0.4%
Asia
24%

In 2009, NGOs channelled food aid in 69 countries, seven more than in 2008. The main
recipient countries were Ethiopia (345,000 mt), DPRK (133,000 mt), Zimbabwe
(113,000 mt), Mozambique (98,000 mt) and Haiti (74,000 mt). These countries accounted
for 56 percent of food aid channelled through NGOs.

The United States of America relied heavily on NGOs to channel 84 percent of its food
aid in 2009, amounting to 1.1 million mt. Other donors channelling food aid through
NGOs were Canada (5.5 percent, of which 93 percent was channelled by the Canadian
Foodgrains Bank), the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (2.8 percent), the International
Committee of the Red Cross (2.6 percent), and the EU (2.3 percent).

18
 2009 Food Aid Flows

4. FOOD AID PRODUCTS

The composition of food aid donation has changed significantly over the years (see
Figure 11), with non-grain items and other food products accounting for increased shares.

Figure 11
Food Aid Composition by Product
100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Wheat & wheat flour Rice Other-cereals Oils & fats Pulses Other non-cereals

Cereal foods accounted for 86 percent of food aid deliveries in 2009, the same as in 2008,
despite a gradual decline of 3 percentage points since the late 1990s.

Figure 12

The pattern in Figure 12 is evident in all regions except Latin America and the Caribbean,
where the share of cereals is lower by 15 percentage points; in the Middle East and North
Africa the share is lower by 7 percentage points.
The composition of the food aid basket remained almost unchanged in 2009 compared
with 2008 (see Table 3). Wheat and wheat derivatives accounted for 39 percent of food

19
 2009 Food Aid Flows

delivered as aid in 2009, 3 percentage points – equivalent to 80,000 mt – less than in

2008. Wheat also accounted for 11 percent of the decrease in total food aid deliveries.
The decline in wheat deliveries can partly be explained by the increasing linkages with
other major cereal products and the weak United States dollar.

The share of rice was 11 percent in 2009, 2 percentage points – equivalent to 224,000 mt
– less than in 2008, the largest decline recorded among all food types. The share of coarse
grains fell by 1 percentage point only.

Greater attention to the quality of food aid has led to increased use of food types that are
richer in micronutrients such as blended and fortified cereals. Blended and fortified food
deliveries reached 7 percent in 2009, from 6 percent in 2008.

Table 3 – 2008/2009 Global Food Aid Deliveries by Food Type

Change
2008 2009
2009 vs 2008
COMMODITY
Mt (000) % Mt (000) % %

Cereals 5 526 85 4 921 86 - 11

Wheat and wheat flour 2 306 36 2 226 39 -3
Rice 852 13 628 11 - 26
Coarse grains 1 971 30 1 663 29 - 16
Blended/Fortified 397 6 404 7 2

Non-cereals 946 15 802 14 - 15

Dairy products 13 0 10 0 - 22
Meat and fish 14 0 9 0 - 37

Oils and fats 276 4 228 4 - 17

Pulses 494 8 437 8 - 11
Other non-cereals 150 2 118 2 - 22

20
 2009 Food Aid Flows

5. FOOD AID DELIVERY

5.1 Delivery modes

The most common delivery mode for food aid is direct transfer of food purchased by
donors in their home countries. Direct transfers account for the whole of the decline in
food aid deliveries since 2000 (see Figure 13). Conversely, the proportion of food aid
purchased locally or in a third country – triangular purchase – has increased, reducing the
cost of transport and stimulating local markets and food producers.

Figure 13
Food Aid by Delivery Mode (1990–2009)

16.0

14.0

12.0

10.0
Million mt

8.0

6.0

4.0

2.0

0.0
1990

1992

1994

2001

2003

2005
1991

1993

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2002

2004

2006

2007

2008

2009
Local Purchase Triangular Purchase Direct Transfer

The tonnage of food aid deliveries in 2009 was 749,000 mt less than 2008. Direct
transfers accounted for half of global food aid deliveries, the lowest share ever, a
decrease of 27 percent compared with 2008. The remaining 50 percent was food aid
purchased locally, which decreased by 15 percent, and triangular purchases, which
increased by 31 percent.

Compared with 2008, the fall in donations by direct transfer was particularly steep for
wheat and coarse grains: wheat donations fell from 24 percent to 18 percent, and coarse
grains from 19 percent to 15 percent. At the same time, triangular purchases of wheat
increased from 9 percent to 15 percent and of coarse grains from 6 percent to 10 percent.

Figure 14 shows that 58 percent of local and triangular transactions took place in sub-
Saharan Africa, and 26 percent in Asia. Food aid originating in developing countries
accounted for 1.8 million mt, 32 percent of total food aid deliveries.

21
 2009 Food Aid Flows

Figure 14
2009 Local and Triangular Purchases by Region

Asia
26%

Eastern Europe & CIS

2%

Middle East & North Africa

11%

Sub-Saharan Af rica Latin America & the Caribbean

58% 3%

In 2009, United Nations agencies became for the first time the main providers of food aid
through local purchases with an 18 percent share, followed by the United States of
America at 12 percent and the EC at 11 percent. The United States continued to be the
main provider of direct transfers with an 82 percent share, followed by Japan at 9 percent.
The United States distributed 80 percent of its total food aid through this modality, and
Japan 62 percent.

The increase in the share of triangular purchases provides income for food producers and
enhances the timeliness of food aid distributions, especially in emergencies. In 2009, a
record high of 91 percent of emergency food aid was delivered through this channel. The
share of emergency food aid purchased locally reached 80 percent, and direct transfers
accounted for 63 percent (see Table 4).

22
 2009 Food Aid Flows

Table 4 – 2008/2009 Global Food Aid Deliveries by Delivery Mode and Category

Change
2008 2009
2009 vs 2008
DELIVERY
CATEGORY
MODE
Mt (000) % Mt (000) % %

Direct transfer 3 888 100 2 847 100 -27

Emergency 2 839 73 1 797 63 -37
Project 808 21 823 29 2
Programme 241 6 227 8 -6

Triangular purchase 1 479 100 1 942 100 31

Emergency 1 234 83 1 778 91 44
Project 167 11 152 8 -9
Programme 78 5 12 1 -85

Local purchase 1 397 79 934 100 -33

Emergency 845 60 751 80 -11
Project 260 19 183 20 -30
Programme 292 0 – – –

5.2 Terms of delivery

All food aid deliveries were provided as grants in 2009. In 2007, 8 percent of food aid
was provided on concessional terms (see Figure 15).

Figure 15

Food Aid Deliveries by Terms of Delivery (1990–2009)

14

12

10
Million mt

0
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Grant Loan

23
 2009 Food Aid Flows

5.3 Food aid sales

In 2009, food aid sales of 450,000 mt accounted for 8 percent of total food aid deliveries;
the remaining 92 percent (see Figure 16), the highest proportion ever, was distributed
directly to beneficiaries as a result of improved targeting effectiveness of food assistance.

Figure 16
Distributed Food Aid as Percentage of Total (1990–2009)

100
90
80
70
Percentage

60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1990

1991

1994

1995

1998

1999

2003

2004

2007

2008
1992

1993

1996

1997

2000

2001

2002

2005

2006

2009
Distributed as % of Total

Food aid deliveries in 2009 were 5.7 million mt, the lowest on record since 1961 and well
below the annual deliveries of 7 million mt between 2004 and 2007. The percentage of
food sold on the market decreased by 1.4 percent in the same period (see Figure 17).

Figure 17
Food Aid Deliveries by Market Sales (1990–2009)

20
18
16
14
Million mt

12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001
1990

1991

1992

1993

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Distributed Sold Food Aid Deliveries

24
 2009 Food Aid Flows

Of the monetized food sold in the markets of recipient countries to generate cash,
51 percent originated from programme food aid delivered through bilateral channels. The
remaining 49 percent was channelled through NGOs, of which project food aid accounted
for 98 percent and emergency food aid 2 percent.

25
 2009 Food Aid Flows

6. FOOD AID CATEGORIES

6.1 Global perspective

Over the two years of gradual appropriation from programme food aid to emergency food
aid, re-distributions of food aid in the three categories have stabilized (see Figure 18). In
tonnage terms, all three categories of food aid were affected by the declining trend of
food aid worldwide.

Figure 18
Food Aid Deliveries by Category
(1990–2009)

12

10

8
Million mt

0
1993

1994

1995

2000

2001

2002

2003

2008

2009
1990

1991

1992

1996

1997

1998

1999

2004

2005

2006

2007
Emergency Project Programme

Emergency food aid, the largest category since 2000, accounted for 76 percent of global
food aid in 2009, the same as in 2008 (see Figure 19); project food aid accounted for
20 percent of global food aid; programme food aid accounted for 4 percent, as in 2008.

Figure 19
2009 Food Aid Deliveries by Category

Programme
Project
4%
20%

Emergency
76%

26
 2009 Food Aid Flows

In 2009, emergency food aid fell to 4.3 million mt (12 percent), project food aid to
1.2 million mt (6 percent), and programme food aid to 238,000 mt (6 percent) (see Table
5).

Table 5 – 2008/2009 Global Food Aid Deliveries by Category and Delivery mode
Change
2008 2009 2009 vs 2008
DELIVERY
CATEGORY
MODE
Mt (000) % Mt (000) % %

Emergency 4 918 100 4 326 100 -12

Direct transfer 2 839 58 1 797 42 -37
Triangular purchase 1 234 25 1 778 41 44
Local purchase 845 17 751 17 -11

Project 1 235 100 1 158 100 -6

Direct transfer 808 65 823 71 2
Triangular purchase 167 14 152 13 -9
Local purchase 260 21 183 16 -30

Programme 319 100 238 100 -25

Direct transfer 241 76 227 95 -6
Triangular purchase 78 24 12 5 -85

The proportion of emergency food aid channelled by WFP as a percentage of the overall
distribution increased compared with 2008. In 2009, 81 percent of all emergency food aid
was provided through WFP, compared with 76 percent in 2008 and 73 percent in 2007.
The remaining 19 percent of emergency food aid deliveries were made through
international and non-governmental organizations. Project food aid delivered by WFP
accounted for 30 percent; the remaining 70 percent was also channelled through
international and non-governmental organizations.

6.2 Emergency food aid

Emergency food aid to sub-Saharan Africa and Asia accounted for 88 percent of the total
worldwide. The 3 percentage point increase in emergency food aid to Asia partly offsets
the reduction in emergency food aid to sub-Saharan Africa (see Table 6). The decline in
emergency food aid to sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 60 percent of the decline in
global food aid. The remaining 12 percent of emergency food aid was delivered in Latin
America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and the CIS, and the Middle East and North
Africa; the latter two accounted for a higher share than in 2008.

27
 2009 Food Aid Flows

Table 6 – 2008/2009 Emergency Food Aid Deliveries by Region

Change
2008 2009
2009 vs 2008
REGION
Mt (000) % Mt (000) % %

Sub-Saharan Africa 3 358 68 2 750 63 -18

Asia 1 072 22 1 069 25 0

Middle East & North Africa 302 6 309 7 3

Latin America & the Caribbean 124 3 112 3 -9

Eastern Europe & CIS 62 1 85 2 36

The ten major recipients of emergency food aid were the same in 2009 as in 2008 (see
Table 7), of which six are in sub-Saharan Africa, three in Asia and one in the Middle East
and North Africa.

Compared with 2008, Kenya, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Pakistan and DRC
received larger quantities of emergency food aid despite the global decline in emergency
food aid deliveries. The four largest recipients – DPRK, Ethiopia, Somalia and the Sudan
– showed a decline in 2009.

Table 7 – 2008/2009 Major Recipients of Emergency Food Aid

Change
2008 2009
2009 vs 2008
RECIPIENT
Mt (000) % Mt (000) % %

Ethiopia 941 19 804 19 -15

Sudan 673 14 498 12 -26

Somalia 370 8 324 7 -13

Korea, Democratic People's Rep. of 330 7 314 7 -5

Kenya 206 4 255 6 24

Pakistan 43 1 241 6 461

Zimbabwe 360 7 228 5 -37

Occupied Palestinian Territory 152 3 203 5 33

Afghanistan 309 6 184 4 -40

Congo, Democratic Rep. of 101 2 147 3 46

28
 2009 Food Aid Flows

The distribution of emergency food aid by the two largest donors differed by
2 percentage points from the pattern of distribution for global food aid: the share of the
United States of America was 49 percent, and that of the EU was 19 percent (see Figure 3
and Figure 20).

Figure 20
2009 Emergency Food Aid by Major Donor

China
3% Others
Japan 7%
4%
Canada
4%
Saudi Arabia
5%
United Nations
9% United States of America
49%

European Union
19%

6.3 Project food aid

Project food aid is concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the
Caribbean (see Table 8). In 2009, project food aid deliveries declined in all regions
except sub-Saharan Africa, where it increased by 9 percentage points. In Eastern Europe
and the CIS, project food aid accounted for only 1 percent of deliveries.

Table 8 – 2008/2009 Project Food Aid Deliveries by Region

Change
2008 2009
2009 vs 2008
REGION
Mt (000) % Mt (000) % %

Sub-Saharan Africa 627 51 699 60 11

Asia 304 25 259 22 -15

Middle East & North Africa 73 6 40 3 -45

Latin America & the Caribbean 212 17 151 13 -29

Eastern Europe & CIS 19 2 10 1 -49

The ten main recipients of project food aid were five countries are in sub-Saharan Africa,
three in Asia, and two in Latin America and the Caribbean (see Table 9). Ethiopia
benefited from a 69 percent increase of project food aid compared with 2008.

29
 2009 Food Aid Flows

Table 9 – 2008/2009 Major Recipients of Project Food Aid

Change
2008 2009
2009 vs 2008
RECIPIENT
Mt (000) % Mt (000) % %

Ethiopia 110 14 186 26 69

Bangladesh 206 26 106 15 -49

Mozambique 100 13 101 14 1

Haiti 117 15 68 10 -42

Malawi 47 6 64 9 35

India 48 6 54 8 12

Guatemala 28 4 47 7 67

Kenya 61 8 36 5 -41

Uganda 36 5 25 3 -31

Occupied Palestinian Territory 35 4 22 3 -39

Project food aid was mainly provided by the United States of America. Of the three
categories of food aid, the share of contributions from the United States was the highest
for project food aid. The United States and the EU together accounted for 82 percent of
global project food aid in 2009. Compared with 2008, the United States increased its
share by 4 percentage points; the share of the EU decreased by 4 percentage points (see
Figure 21).

Figure 21
2009 Project Food Aid by Major Donor

USA
70%

EU
12%

Canada
Others Japan 4%
Private
4% 3%
2%

NGOs UN
2% 3%

30
 2009 Food Aid Flows

6.4 Programme food aid

In 2009, sub-Saharan Africa became the largest recipient of programme food aid; it has
doubled its share over the last two years. The share of Asia decreased by 20 percentage
points compared with 2008; that of Eastern Europe and the CIS decreased by 10
percentage points (see Table 10).

Table 10 – 2008/2009 Programme Food Aid Deliveries by Region

Change
2008 2009
2009 vs 2008
REGION
Mt (000) % Mt (000) % %

Sub-Saharan Africa 153 48 198 83 29

Asia 105 33 30 13 -72

Middle East & North Africa 0 1 – – –

Latin America & the Caribbean 14 4 – – –

Eastern Europe & CIS 46 15 10 4 -78

Sub-Saharan Africa was top of the list of major recipients, with 198,000 mt of
programme food aid delivered to nine countries. Increases in programme food aid to
DRC, Mozambique and Togo contributed significantly to the increase of programme food
aid to Africa (see Table 11). A large amount of programme food aid was delivered in the
Maldives, the only Asian country to receive it.

31
 2009 Food Aid Flows

Table 11 – 2008/2009 Major Recipients of Programme Food Aid

Change
2008 2009
2009 vs 2008
RECIPIENT
Mt (000) % Mt (000) % %

Mozambique – – 30 12 –

Togo 0 0 24 10 44083

Congo, Democratic Rep. of 7 2 24 10 233

Maldives 6 2 20 9 217

Cape Verde 11 3 18 7 61

Ghana 10 3 16 7 55

Djibouti – – 15 6 –

Mali 6 2 12 5 92

Niger 10 3 12 5 16

Benin 4 1 12 5 227

Japan funded 93 percent of all programme food aid, a significant increase over the
53 percent in 2008. The Russian Federation provided 4 percent of global programme food
aid and Luxembourg 2 percent (see Figure 22).

Figure 22
2009 Programme Food Aid by Major Donor

Japan
93%

Russian Federation Luxembourg

4% 2%
Others
1%

32
 2009 Food Aid Flows

7. REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES

There was a decline in the tonnage of food aid in all regions in 2009 (see Table 12). The
share of food aid for each region was the same as in 2008.

Figure 23

Sub-Saharan Africa suffered most from the decline in food aid deliveries, receiving
500,000 mt less than in 2008; the other regions also received smaller tonnages. Deliveries
to the regions in 2009 were between 54 percent and 95 percent below their 2000 levels.

Table 12 – 2008/2009 Global Food Aid Deliveries: Regional Perspectives

Change
2008 2009
2009 vs 2008
REGION
Mt (000) % Mt (000) % %

Sub-Saharan Africa 4 138 64 3 647 64 -12

Asia 1 482 23 1 358 24 -8

Middle East & North Africa 375 6 349 6 -7

Latin America & the Caribbean 350 5 263 5 -25

Eastern Europe & CIS 128 2 105 2 -18

In 2009, food aid deliveries to Asia and sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 88 percent of
the total. This reflects the fact that they are home to the largest share of undernourished
people, which was 91 percent in 2004–2006.3 The allocation of food aid to these two

3
FAO. 2009. The State of Food Insecurity in the World. Rome.

33
 2009 Food Aid Flows

regions, however, does not reflect the distribution of needs: in 2004–2006, 65 percent of
the world’s undernourished people lived in Asia, but only 24 percent of food aid
deliveries were made in the region in 2009. Conversely, the 2004–2006 share of
undernourished people in sub-Saharan Africa was 25 percent, but the region received
64 percent of total food aid deliveries in 2009. Moreover the food security challenge was
not only how to increase food aid deliveries to a region but recognizing that communities
and governments also have prime responsibility for meeting the hunger-related needs of
their population. They have their own tools and policies that are country-specific and are
thus the best institutional and operational starting points for complementary hunger-
reduction interventions.

WFP’s share of global food aid deliveries in 2009 was 67 percent of the total.

7.1 Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa has historically received the highest proportion of food aid. In 2009,
3.6 million mt of food aid was delivered to the region, a 12 percent decline compared
with 2008 (see Figure 24).

Figure 24
Food Aid Deliveries to Sub-Saharan Africa (1990–2009)

5
Million mt

0
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Figure 25 shows that food distributions to sub-Saharan Africa were most often made in
response to emergencies. The 18 percent decline in emergency food aid deliveries to the
region in 2009 affected the profile of food aid. Other categories of food aid increased (see
Table 13).

34
 2009 Food Aid Flows

Figure 25
Food Aid Deliveries to Sub-Saharan Africa by Category (1990–2009)

4.5

4.0

3.5

3.0
Million mt

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
1991

1994

1997

1998

2000

2001

2004

2007
1990

1992

1993

1995

1996

1999

2002

2003

2005

2006

2008

2009
Emergency Project Programme

Table 13 – 2008/2009 Food Aid Deliveries to Sub-Saharan Africa

Change
2008 2009
2009 vs 2008
SUB-SAHARAN
AFRICA
Mt (000) % Mt (000) % %

Emergency 3 358 81 2 750 75 -18

Project 627 15 699 19 11
Programme 153 4 198 5 29

Sold 299 7 353 10 18

Distributed 3 838 93 3 295 90 -14

Multilateral 2 682 65 2 576 71 -4

Bilateral 345 8 203 6 -41
NGOs 1 110 27 868 24 -22

Direct transfer 2 703 65 1 983 54 -27

Triangular purchase 863 21 1 334 37 55
Local purchase 572 14 331 9 -42

The major recipient countries in the region were Ethiopia (1 million mt), the Sudan
(504,000 mt), Somalia (330,000 mt) and Zimbabwe (290,000 mt). These countries
accounted for 36 percent of global food aid flows and 58 percent of deliveries to the
region.

35
 2009 Food Aid Flows

Food aid was mainly provided by the United States of America (58 percent), Japan
(8 percent), the EC and Canada (4 percent).

Sub-Saharan Africa is also the region where WFP activity is most concentrated. In 2009,
WFP channelled 71 percent of food aid to sub-Saharan Africa, of which 92 percent was
emergency food aid. These shares were higher than in 2008.

7.2 Asia

Asia continued to be the second largest recipient of food aid. The decline of 8 percent in
deliveries to the region brought the tonnage below the 1.4 million mt delivered in 2008.
Food aid to Asia remains below the average for the first half of the 1990s, when
deliveries fluctuated between 2 million mt and 3 million mt (see Figure 26).

Figure 26
Food Aid Deliveries to Asia (1990–2009)

4
Million mt

0
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Emergency food aid accounted for 79 percent of total food aid, which contributed to the
1 percent reduction in programme food aid and the 2 percent reduction in project food aid
(see Figure 27).

36
 2009 Food Aid Flows

Figure 27
Food Aid Deliveries to Asia by Category (1990–2009)

2.5

2.0
Million mt

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009
Emergency Project Programme

During 2009, the share of monetized food aid (see Table 14) fell almost to zero. Despite
the decline of 4 percent in the quantity of multilateral food aid, its share of global food
aid increased by 3 percentage points. The quantity channelled through NGOs increased
by 7 percent, accounting for 24 percent of global food aid to Asia. Bilateral food aid
declined by 41 percent in 2009 to 11 percent.

Table 14 – 2008/2009 Food Aid Deliveries to Asia

Change
2008 2009
2009 vs 2008
ASIA
Mt (000) % Mt (000) % %

Emergency 1 072 72 1 069 79 0

Project 304 21 259 19 -15
Programme 105 7 30 2 -72

Sold 181 12 65 5 -64

Distributed 1 301 88 1 294 95 -1

Multilateral 922 62 884 65 -4

Bilateral 261 18 154 11 -41
NGOs 299 20 321 24 7

Direct transfer 910 61 615 45 -32

Triangular purchase 311 21 312 23 0
Local purchase 260 18 431 32 66

37
 2009 Food Aid Flows

Afghanistan, DPRK and Pakistan together received 61 percent of food aid deliveries to
the region; Pakistan emerged for the first time as one of the three major recipients.

The United States of America contributed 37 percent, the United Nations 12 percent and
China 10 percent of total food aid to Asia.

Of WFP food aid, 23 percent was directed to Asia, of which 88 percent was emergency
food aid mainly for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and 12 percent was project food aid
mainly for Bangladesh and India.

7.3 Latin America and the Caribbean

Food aid to Latin America and the Caribbean was affected more than in the other regions
by the general decline in food aid in 2009. Compared with 2008, food aid deliveries to
the region decreased by 25 percent (see Figure 28).

Figure 28
Food Aid Deliveries to Latin America and the Caribbean (1990–2009)

2.5

2.0
Million mt

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Unlike other recipient regions, Latin America and the Caribbean primarily received
project food aid through NGOs. In 2009, the quantity of project food aid declined by
29 percent from 2008; the quantity of emergency food aid increased slightly, but from a
low level; programme food aid disappeared (see Figure 29).

38
 2009 Food Aid Flows

Figure 29
Food Aid Deliveries to Latin America and the Caribbean by Category
(1990–2009)

1.8

1.6

1.4

1.2
Million mt

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0.0
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009
Emergency Project Programme

Of the food aid delivered in the region in 2009, 93 percent was distributed directly to
beneficiaries; of this, 56 percent was channelled through NGOs. Bilateral food aid
disappeared in 2009. The share of direct transfers was the largest compared with the other
regions. Local purchases decreased by 22 percentage points in 2009 (see Table 15).

Table 15 – 2008/2009 Food Aid Deliveries to Latin America and the Caribbean

Change
2008 2009
LATIN AMERICA 2009 vs 2008
AND THE
CARIBBEAN Mt (000) % Mt (000) % %

Emergency 124 35 112 43 -9

Project 212 61 151 57 -29
Programme 14 4 – – –

Sold 68 20 18 7 -73
Distributed 282 80 244 93 -13

Multilateral 128 37 117 44 -10

Bilateral 14 4 – – –
NGOs 207 59 146 56 -42

Direct transfer 189 54 181 69 -5

Triangular purchase 39 11 48 18 18
Local purchase 121 35 34 13 -259

39
 2009 Food Aid Flows

In 2009 Haiti was the largest recipient in the region (54 percent of total food aid
deliveries), followed by Guatemala (21 percent) and Bolivia (8 percent).

The United States of America contributed 61 percent of food aid in the region, the largest
share of United States deliveries among the regions. The involvement of United Nations
agencies increased to a 7 percent share, compared with 3 percent in 2008.

WFP channelled 44 percent of the food aid deliveries to Latin America and the
Caribbean, 85 percent as emergency food aid for Haiti, Colombia and Guatemala, an
increase of 7 percent compared with 2008.

7.4 Eastern Europe and the CIS

The tonnage of food aid delivered to Eastern Europe and the CIS has gradually decreased
over the past three years, reaching a low level in 2009 (see Figure 30). Eight beneficiary
countries in the region benefited from 105,000 mt of food aid.

Figure 30
Food Aid Deliveries to Eastern Europe and CIS (1990–2009)

5
Million mt

0
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Of global food aid for the region, 81 percent was for emergencies; programme food aid
accounted for 10 percent and project food aid 9 percent (see Figure 31).

40
 2009 Food Aid Flows

Figure 31
Food Aid Deliveries to Eastern Europe and CIS by Category
(1990–2009)
7

5
Million mt

0
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009
Emergency Project Programme

A larger proportion of food delivered in the region in 2009 was distributed directly to
beneficiaries, and 10 percent of donations were monetized. In 2009, multilateral agencies
delivered 71 percent of food aid as intermediaries (see Table 16).

Table 16 – 2008/2009 Food Aid Deliveries to Eastern Europe and CIS

Change
2008 2009
2009 vs 2008
EASTERN
EUROPE AND CIS
Mt (000) % Mt (000) % %

Emergency 62 49 85 81 36
Project 19 15 10 9 -49
Programme 46 36 10 10 -78

Sold 46 36 10 10 -77
Distributed 82 64 95 90 16

Multilateral 60 47 75 71 25
Bilateral 49 38 11 10 -77
NGOs 19 15 19 18 1

Direct transfer 20 16 40 38 96
Triangular purchase 91 71 50 47 -45
Local purchase 17 13 16 15 -6

41
 2009 Food Aid Flows

The main recipients in the region were Tajikistan (52 percent of total food aid), followed
by Georgia and Kyrgyzstan (21 percent).

The Russian Federation provided 31 percent of the food aid to the region in 2009. The
United States of America provided 28 percent and Japan 11 percent.

Eastern Europe and the CIS is the region to which WFP channelled the second lowest
quantity of food, largely for emergencies.

7.5 Middle East and North Africa

The Middle East and North Africa region received 350,000 mt of food aid in 2009,
6 percent of global food aid deliveries. The 2009 level is well above the historic low of
220,000 mt in 2005 (see Figure 32).

Figure 32
Food Aid Deliveries to Middle East and North Africa
(1990–2009)

3.5

3.0

2.5
Million mt

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Emergency food aid continued to be the main category, accounting for 81 percent of
deliveries to the region. Programme and monetized food aid have disappeared since the
sudden drop in 2008 (see Figure 33).

42
 2009 Food Aid Flows

Figure 33
Food Aid Deliveries to Middle East and North Africa by Category
(1990–2009)
3.0

2.5

2.0
Million mt

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009
Emergency Project Programme

Since 2008, all food aid has been distributed directly to beneficiaries. The dominance of
multilateral food aid and local and triangular purchases continued in 2009 (see Table 17).

Table 17 – 2008/2009 Food Aid Deliveries to Middle East and North Africa

Change
MIDDLE EAST 2008 2009
2009 vs 2008
AND NORTH
AFRICA Mt (000) % Mt (000) % %

Emergency 302 81 309 89 3

Project 73 19 40 11 -45
Programme 0 0 – – –

Sold 0 0 – – –
Distributed 374 100 349 100 -7

Multilateral 346 92 342 98 -1

Bilateral 0 0 2 0 559
NGOs 28 7 6 2 -79

Direct transfer 64 17 28 8 -56

Triangular purchase 176 47 198 57 13
Local purchase 135 36 123 35 -9

The major recipients were the Occupied Palestinian Territory (64 percent), Yemen
(13 percent) and the Syrian Arab Republic (8 percent).

43
 2009 Food Aid Flows

The EC, the United Nations, the United States of America and Saudi Arabia provided
76 percent of food aid in the region. The EC increased its share to 29 percent from
22 percent in 2008, and the United Nations increased its share to 19 percent from
11 percent in 2008. The share of the United States fell from 26 percent in 2008 to
17 percent in 2009.

WFP channelled 56 percent of food aid deliveries to the region, of which 92 percent was
for emergencies.

7.6 Food aid recipient countries

In 2009, 5.7 million mt of food aid was distributed to 89 recipient countries – one less
than in 2008 – of which 41 were in sub-Saharan Africa, 16 in Asia, 13 in Latin America
and the Caribbean, 11 in the Middle East and North Africa and 8 in Eastern Europe and
the CIS.

The number of recipient countries has steadily declined since the early 1990s, when 120
countries received food assistance. Compared with 1990, fewer recipient countries
received smaller quantities of food aid in 2009. An average of 64,000 mt of food aid per
recipient country was distributed, 45 percent of the 141,000 mt in 1990, varying from
6 mt in Azerbaijan to 1 million mt in Ethiopia.

During 2009, 55 percent of global food aid was delivered to eight countries: Ethiopia
(17 percent), the Sudan (9 percent), Somalia (6 percent), DPRK (5 percent) and Pakistan,
Zimbabwe and Afghanistan (5 percent) (see Table 18).

44
 2009 Food Aid Flows

Table 18 – Global Food Aid Profile of Main Recipients in 2009 (percentage)

Ethiopia Sudan Somalia DPRK Kenya Pakistan Zimbabwe Afghanistan

FOOD AID CATEGORY

Emergency 81 99 98 99 88 96 95 88
Project 19 1 2 1 12 4 5 12
Programme – – – – – – – –

FOOD TYPE
Cereals 92 86 88 98 82 80 82 77
Non-cereals 8 14 12 2 18 20 18 23
SALE
Distributed 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Sold – – – – – – – –
DONOR
United States of America 65 82 60 45 55 44 87 63
United Nations 3 6 0 9 23 23 1 –
Canada 14 2 2 2 1 8 5 0
Saudi Arabia 9 0 7 1 1 5 – 1
China – – – 43 – – – –
EC 3 7 4 – 4 8 0 –
NGOs 0 0 20 – 5 1 5 –
Germany 2 1 1 0 1 7 2 11
Japan 3 1 3 – 6 4 – 6
United Kingdom 2 – 1 – 4 – 0 19
TERM
Grant 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Concessional sales – – – – – – – –
CHANNEL
Bilateral – 0 0 39 – – – –
Multilateral 65 98 84 19 94 99 53 84
NGOs 35 2 16 42 6 1 47 16
MODE
Direct Transfer 54 44 52 82 44 9 78 43
Local purchase 5 2 7 0 11 72 7 2
Triangular transaction 42 55 40 18 45 19 15 55

Source: WFP/INTERFAIS, June 2010

45
 2009 Food Aid Flows

8. THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF FOOD AID

Good quality food aid can save billions of dollars that would otherwise be spent on
saving lives. The 2007/08 food price crisis and the subsequent economic recessions in
2009 renewed the interest of the humanitarian community in malnutrition, especially in
terms of the quality of food aid being delivered. In response, and with support from the
EC and the Government of Canada, WFP developed three indicators in 2008 (see Box 1)
to measure the nutritional value of food aid and created a web-based tool to provide a
nutrition perspective in the implementation and reporting of food aid operations. The
indicators can be used in conjunction with the traditional tonnage-based measures.

Box 1
Three indicators to measure the nutritional value of food aid

IRMA = individual requirements met on average

The number of people for whom the requirements for each nutrient could potentially be
satisfied with a representative 1 mt of food aid. IRMAj scales IRMAtj down to 1 mt by
dividing IRMAtj by the tonnage selected for the country, allowing easy comparisons
across different food aid deliveries by eliminating the quantity component of IRMAt.

IRMAt = individual requirements met on average, total

The total number of people for whom the requirements for each nutrient are potentially
met, based on the tonnage of food aid delivered. IRMAtj shows the number of people
whose nutritional requirements for each (j) nutrient could potentially be satisfied by the
tonnage delivered to the country.

IRMAs = individual requirements met on average, score

The average of 13 IRMAj values as a percentage of the IRMA value for energy. No
weights are applied, but maximum values are imposed so that outliers do not unduly
influence the average. This indicator is restricted to the interval [0–100] and excess
quantities are penalized. IRMAs is the only indicator that is a single number.

The core concept underlying these indicators is a comparison between the supply of
nutrients and nutritional requirements. IRMA compares the nutritional content of food aid
with average nutritional requirements for energy and a number of macronutrients and
micronutrients essential for an active and healthy life: fat, protein, iodine, iron, vitamin
A, vitamin C, niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B6, vitamin B9 (folic acid), vitamin
B12 and zinc.4

The nutrients delivered are not compared with the actual needs of recipients, but with
those of an average individual in a developing country. This is done to make the
indicators universally applicable and comparable.5 The indicators do not imply
4
The nutritional requirements for energy and ten nutrients are from: WHO. The Management of Nutrition in Major Emergencies.
IFRC/UNHCR/WFP/WHO.Geneva 2000, available at http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2000/924154508.pdf . The nutritional
requirements for protein and zinc are from: The Sphere Project. 2004. Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster
Response, available at http://www.act-inl.org/media/documents/8032-SphereHandbookfull.pdf . Nutritional requirements for vitamin
B6 were computed as a weighted average by using the size of each age-sex group as weights, in terms of measuring other
requirements for energy, macro and micronutrients.
5
The actual needs of individual beneficiaries could be different, for example because of age, sex, disease, activity levels and sources
of food other than food aid. The nutritional requirements are based on averages, using the size of various age/sex groups as weights.

46
 2009 Food Aid Flows

judgement on all aspects of the quality of the food aid, which relates to a much broader
set of issues;6 they focus on a single aspect of quality – the nutritional content of food aid.

8.1 Food Aid Flows and IRMAt

Of the three indicators, IRMAt is the most appropriate for measuring total food aid flows.
There is a correlation between IRMAt values and food aid quantities in mt. IRMAt
represents the number of people whose minimum nutrient requirements are satisfied. On
the basis of the humanitarian threshold of 2,100 kcal/day, food aid deliveries in 2009
could potentially meet the energy needs of 26 million individuals, 9 percent less than in
2008. The IRMAt for protein shows a similar trend; the IRMA for protein shows a higher
value. Food aid flows in 2009 were potentially able to meet the protein requirements of
34.6 million people.

Figure 34
IRMAt macronutrients
80,000,000 12,000,000

10,000,000

60,000,000

8,000,000

40,000,000 6,000,000

4,000,000

20,000,000

2,000,000

0 0
IRMAt
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 mt
Food Aid Energy Protein Fat

Analysis of the IRMAt for micronutrients shows that the food aid deliveries are not
balanced, because the IRMAt values for micronutrients are significantly different from
those for energy and macronutrients. For example, global food aid flows in 2009 were
potentially able to meet the thiamine requirements of 52 million people, twice as many as
for energy.

6
Including targeting, timing, safety, shelf-life, local preferences/acceptability and usability in terms of preparation requirements.

47
 2009 Food Aid Flows

Figure 35
IRMAt micronutrients
125,000,000 12,000,000

10,000,000
100,000,000

8,000,000
75,000,000

6,000,000

50,000,000
4,000,000

25,000,000
2,000,000

0 0

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Food Aid Iron Iodine Vit A Thiamine Riboflavine

Niacine Vitamine C Vitamin B6 Vitamine B9 Vitamine B12 Zinc

In 2009, ten major recipient countries received 61 percent of global food aid deliveries in
tonnage terms. These recipients accounted for equal value of IRMAt percentages, with
the exceptions of fat at 58 percent, iodine at 44 percent, vitamin C at 55 percent, vitamin
B9 at 35 percent and vitamin B12 at 43 percent.

Figure 36
IRMAt by Recipient Country
60,000,000

50,000,000

40,000,000

30,000,000

20,000,000

10,000,000

Ethiopia Sudan Somalia DPRK Kenya Pakistan Zimbabwe Afghanistan DRC Mozambique Others

Ten major donors accounted for 94 percent of global food aid with equal percentages of
IRMAt values.

Maize, rice, sorghum and wheat and its derivatives account for 79 percent of global food
aid deliveries in tonnage terms, with low nutritional value for fat and vitamin A and no
value for iodine and vitamin C. These foods account for 70 percent of energy and other
nutrients (see Figure 37).

48
 2009 Food Aid Flows

Other foods can fill micronutrient gaps: for example, corn-soya blend provides 50 percent
of total vitamin A and 83 percent of total vitamin C, but accounts for only 6 percent of
food aid deliveries in tonnage terms and 5 percent in energy terms.

Figure 37
IRMAt by Food Type
60,000,000

50,000,000

40,000,000

30,000,000

20,000,000

10,000,000

Wheat Sorghum Rice Maize Wheat flour Oil Salt CSB Other food types

49