Local and Regional Food Aid Procurement: An Assessment of Experience in Africa and Elements of Good Donor Practice

This report discusses the potential for procurement of food aid in local/regional markets to improve the effectiveness of response to food emergency victims. The paper examines the relevance of local/regional procurement (LRP) to donors and the rationale for using it, reviews LRP’s efficiency relative to in-kind food aid and to local prices in the markets in which it occurs (focusing on Africa), proposes a classification of risks involved in LRP, discusses a range of potential LRP modalities, and closes by proposing a framework of guiding principles, information systems, and operational procedures for responsible and effective LRP.