The UN World Food Programme and the Development of Food Aid

This is the first history to be written of the World Food Programme (WFP), the food aid arm of the United Nations System. It tells the story of the antecedents and origins of WFP and growth from modest beginnings as a three-year experiment in 1963-65 to become the main source of international food aid for both disaster relief and development against the background of the evolution and development of food aid. This dual role has put WFP in the front line of the United Nations attack on poverty, hunger and food insecurity.

JOHN SHAW was associated with the World Food Programme (WFP) for over thirty years. He served successively as Consultant, Senior Evaluation Officer, Senior Economist and Head of the Policy Unit, Economics Advisor and, finally, Chief of the Policy Affairs Service. He is currently on the International Editorial Board of the journal Food Policy. He has written extensively on development and food aid issues.