2. CARE's Food Programming Principles

Food aid should be programmed under specific conditions and with certain precautions; to do otherwise would risk a costly and ineffective intervention that creates dependency and acts as a disincentive to local food production. Food programs should be based on CARE food programming principles (adapted from CARE's Use of Food Aid: Policy and Guidelines, 1985):

· Priority to low-income food-deficient countries

· Targeted to benefit disadvantaged segments of the populations of the recipient countries

· Based on development criteria. Use of food aid must be a logical and integral part of the development efforts of the recipient countries and the region. Food aid should be consistent with overall strategies for the production and consumption of food in those countries.

· Developed, implemented, and evaluated with community participation and aimed toward community self-reliance. Selecting appropriate administrative and operational counterparts is critical and presents an opportunity to involve national and local private institutions and organizations reaching the greatest majority of the population.

· Include systems for both process and impact evaluation.

· Advocate for important food aid issues.

· Meet standards of accountability for food aid programming, including a clear statement of the project's framework and expectations, and assessment of potential impact on domestic agricultural production and consumption.