UNDERSTANDING WHEN FOOD AID CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Since food aid is WFP's main commodity, it is important to understand when and where it can make a difference.

If WFP decision-makers are to make effective use of the limited food aid available, they need to know who is food insecure and what caused their vulnerability to hunger.

VAM helps the Agency answer these questions through five activities:

• Geographic targeting: assessing the degree of food (in)security of specified geographic areas, so that WFP can determine where to prioritise further assessment and response.
  
  
• Problem assessment: understanding the probable causes of food insecurity and vulnerability which can exist at any given time in a particular geographic region or population group.
  
  
• Beneficiary assessment: determining the characteristics of food insecure and vulnerable populations, and whether food assistance can improve their conditions.
  
  
• The role of food aid: identifying whether the use of food aid represents a comparative advantage in addressing the basic causes of food insecurity and vulnerability among a targeted population.
  
  
• Advocacy for the hungry poor: assisting the hungry poor by accurately representing their conditions to others who may be able to provide assistance.

ADVOCACY

Although VAM's assessments are specifically designed to feed into the Agency's programming decisions, the insights provided by a VAM analysis can also inform the wider international community.

For example, when VAM identifies problems that food aid cannot resolve, the information may indicate what other types of resources will make a difference.

In this sense, VAM enhances WFP's role as an advocate for the hungry poor.

HOW VAM CONTRIBUTES TO WFP DECISION-MAKING

Information from VAM activities is fed directly into WFP programme decision making through specific sections of WFP Country Strategy Outlines, Country Programmes and emergency and recovery programme documents.