Humanitarian Food Assistance and Nutrition Outcomes among Refugees: A Historical Perspective

Background: Humanitarian interventions are done after a significant disruption of people’s daily life which in turn affect their food security and nutrition needs. Food assistance has become a key element of humanitarian aid to conflict-affected populations. Hunger and undernutrition can significantly worsen during situations of prolonged conflicts and where institutional capacities are weak. Humanitarian food aid provided in the form of food or non-food items for people affected by famine, drought, or natural disaster is intended to feed, shelter, and provide legal protection. Malnutrition in children is related to insufficient food intake, poor food quality, and severe or repeated infectious diseases. Therefore, humanitarian food assistance is given to ensure sufficient, safe, and nutritious food is consumed to prevent malnutrition and prevent death.

Objectives: This paper seeks to understand the following specific objectives; to explore the evolution of humanitarian food assistance or food aid; to gain an understanding of the contemporary views on humanitarian food assistance; to explore the comparative views on humanitarian food assistance, and to find out the implications of shifting from Food Aid to Food Assistance.

Study Design/Method: Secondary data collection method was used and both published and official documents were reviewed based on the objectives of this paper, and relevant information was picked. The review provides evidence on the benefits as well as gaps related to humanitarian food assistance interventions and their relationship with the nutrition status of children below the age of five years.

Results: Food in-kind directly impacts positively on the nutrition status of households and influences the coping mechanisms of the affected populations. In Mali, a study found food transfers exert a protective effect on food-insecure populations in conflict situations and increased micro-nutrient availability. Another study found improvement in nutrition status among children in Myanmar, Kenya, Niger, and South Sudan. While global acute malnutrition (GAM) in Myanmar declined from 6.6% to 2.6% and from 7.5% to 4.7%, in Niger, GAM rates declined from 21.3% to 13.6%, and 11.4% to 7.3% in Kenya and South Sudan, a decline of 6% GAM. Also, a study on the “impact of cash transfers on food consumption in humanitarian settings found cash transfer” is an appropriate and effective modality in humanitarian settings for meeting the needs of vulnerable populations.

Conclusion: The strategic shift from food aid to food assistance has the potential to enhance effectiveness in addressing hunger because there is increased use of non-food aid in operational modalities and other initiatives to enhance local production and purchase, and the use of vouchers and cash transfers in humanitarian response.