Abstract:
United State’s food aid programs are the most restrictive in the world, based on an
outdated system of foreign aid that is tied to domestic agricultural production and
political interests. Food aid implementers, researchers, and the international community
have called for reforms, however entrenched interests in shipping, agribusiness and nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) have erected serious roadblocks to change. This
dissertation seeks to analyze how reform of U.S. food aid policy can be achieved through:
an analysis of trends and positions within the U.S. Private Voluntary Organization (PVO)
and NGO community based on survey results, a comparative analysis of the Canadian
food aid reform process, and a case study of one organization’s own efforts for internal
policy change to end reliance on food aid resources.
