The Experts below are selected from a list of 31782 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Wim Groot - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Does integrating AIDS treatment with Food Assistance affect labor supply? Evidence from Zambia.
Economics and human biology, 2017Co-Authors: Nyasha Tirivayi, Wim GrootAbstract:In low income settings, Food Assistance is increasingly becoming part of AIDS treatment and care programs with the aim of improving adherence to AIDS treatment, enhancing household Food security and strengthening economic wellbeing. Yet, evidence of its economic impact is sparse. This paper uses primary data to examine the short term impact of a Food Assistance program on labor supply as measured by the hours worked, labor market participation rates and transitions to employment within HIV/AIDS affected households in Zambia. We find that Food Assistance is generally a labor supply disincentive to HIV-infected patients receiving treatment as it reduced their hours worked by up to 54%, transitions to employment by up to 70% and also reduced the labor market participation rates of male patients by 72%. Among non-infected adult family members, there were no significant effects on labor market participation. However, propensity score estimates show that Food Assistance generally increased the intensity of work by males regardless of the length of AIDS treatment, but for females there was a disincentive effect that disappeared when the patient had spent a longer time on AIDS treatment and was therefore healthier and less likely to be cared for. These findings suggest that Food Assistance can inadvertently reduce the labor supply of HIV-infected individuals, but this is compensated for by the increased labor supply among other family members.
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The Impact of Food Assistance on Dietary Diversity and Food Consumption among People Living with HIV/AIDS.
AIDS and behavior, 2016Co-Authors: Nyasha Tirivayi, Wim GrootAbstract:Little is known about the outcomes of Food Assistance targeted to Food insecure people living with HIV/AIDS. Using primary data from Zambia, we estimated the impact of Food Assistance on the dietary diversity and consumption expenditures of households with HIV infected members receiving antiretroviral therapy. Propensity score matching estimates show that Food Assistance increased dietary diversity by 9.8 points (23%) mainly through the consumption of Food items provided in the ration. Food Assistance recipients were 20% points more likely to have acceptable Food consumption and 15% points less likely to have poor Food consumption than non-recipients. Food Assistance also increased Food consumption expenditures but had no significant impact on Food purchases and total consumption expenditures. Overall, our findings demonstrate that Food Assistance can be an effective instrument for improving diets and enhancing the Food security of people living with HIV/AIDS.
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clinic based Food Assistance is associated with increased medication adherence among hiv infected adults on long term antiretroviral therapy in zambia
Journal of AIDS and Clinical Research, 2012Co-Authors: Nyasha Tirivayi, John R. Koethe, Wim GrootAbstract:Background: There has been limited research to date on the effects of Food Assistance provided to HIV-infected adults in resource-constrained settings with a high prevalence of malnutrition and chronic Food insecurity. We compare Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) adherence, weight gain, and CD4+ lymphocyte change among HIV-infected adult enrolled in a clinic-based Food Assistance program in Lusaka, Zambia versus a control group of non-recipients. Methods: We conducted a cohort study incorporating interviewer-administered surveys and retrospective clinical data to compare ART patients receiving Food Assistance with a control group of non-recipients. Medication adherence was assessed using pharmacy dispensation records. We use propensity score matching to assess the effect of Food Assistance on outcome measures. Results: After 6 months, Food Assistance recipients (n=145) had higher ART adherence compared to nonrecipients (n=147, 98.3% versus 88.8%, respectively; p<0.01), but no significant effects were observed for weight or CD4+ lymphocyte count change. The improvement in adherence rates was greater for participants on ART for less than 230 days, and those with BMI<18.5 kg/m2, a higher HIV disease stage, or a CD4+ lymphocyte count ≤ 350 cells/μl. Conclusions: Promoting optimal medication adherence among persons on ART is relevant to public health and the success of HIV control efforts. The provision of Food Assistance to HIV-infected adults on ART may have an incentivizing effect which can improve medication adherence, particularly among patients recently initiated on treatment and those with poor nutrition or advanced disease. The effects on body weight and immune reconstitution appear minimal.
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health and welfare effects of integrating aids treatment with Food Assistance in resource constrained settings a systematic review of theory and evidence
Social Science & Medicine, 2011Co-Authors: Nyasha Tirivayi, Wim GrootAbstract:The article systematically reviews theory and existing empirical evidence on the health and welfare effects of integrating AIDS treatment with Food Assistance. While theoretical predictions point to possible improvements in health, consumption and ambiguous effects on labor supply, there are few empirical studies that used robust designs. Five empirical studies are reviewed and in two of them, Food Assistance improves nutritional status, especially when provided in the form of ready to use therapeutic feeding. However because of methodological concerns, the positive effects of Food Assistance on weight gain warrant cautious interpretation. One study found a positive association between Food Assistance and adherence. While no quantitative study evaluated welfare effects, respondents in a qualitative study self-reported the resumption of labor activities, increased dietary diversity and Food consumption. There is still limited evidence on the role of duration of AIDS treatment and programmatic aspects like targeting, composition and duration of Food Assistance. The major conclusion of the paper is that there is still need for further research based on robust designs which investigates both health and household welfare effects.
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Food Assistance and its effect on the weight and antiretroviral therapy adherence of HIV infected adults evidence from Zambia
2010Co-Authors: Nyasha Tirivayi, John R. Koethe, Wim GrootAbstract:We evaluate the effects of Food Assistance on the weight and adherence of HIV patients on Anti- Retroviral Therapy (ART) using survey and administrative data on 314 patients and their households enrolled in a World Food Programme Food Assistance program in peri-urban Lusaka in Zambia. We find no significant differences in weight change at 6 months between patients receiving Food Assistance and a comparison group of non-beneficiaries. Cross sectional matching and regression estimates show a significant and positive average effect of Food Assistance on ART adherence. A sub-population analysis finds that the duration of ART treatment affects the effect size of Food Assistance on adherence to treatment. The receipt of Food Assistance has significant and larger positive effect sizes on adherence to treatment for patients who had been on ART for less than the sample median of 995 days, while Food Assistance has no effect (ordinary least squares regression) or some negative effect (instrumental variable regression) on adherence for patients whose duration of ART was greater than the sample median.
Nyasha Tirivayi - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Does integrating AIDS treatment with Food Assistance affect labor supply? Evidence from Zambia.
Economics and human biology, 2017Co-Authors: Nyasha Tirivayi, Wim GrootAbstract:In low income settings, Food Assistance is increasingly becoming part of AIDS treatment and care programs with the aim of improving adherence to AIDS treatment, enhancing household Food security and strengthening economic wellbeing. Yet, evidence of its economic impact is sparse. This paper uses primary data to examine the short term impact of a Food Assistance program on labor supply as measured by the hours worked, labor market participation rates and transitions to employment within HIV/AIDS affected households in Zambia. We find that Food Assistance is generally a labor supply disincentive to HIV-infected patients receiving treatment as it reduced their hours worked by up to 54%, transitions to employment by up to 70% and also reduced the labor market participation rates of male patients by 72%. Among non-infected adult family members, there were no significant effects on labor market participation. However, propensity score estimates show that Food Assistance generally increased the intensity of work by males regardless of the length of AIDS treatment, but for females there was a disincentive effect that disappeared when the patient had spent a longer time on AIDS treatment and was therefore healthier and less likely to be cared for. These findings suggest that Food Assistance can inadvertently reduce the labor supply of HIV-infected individuals, but this is compensated for by the increased labor supply among other family members.
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The Impact of Food Assistance on Dietary Diversity and Food Consumption among People Living with HIV/AIDS.
AIDS and behavior, 2016Co-Authors: Nyasha Tirivayi, Wim GrootAbstract:Little is known about the outcomes of Food Assistance targeted to Food insecure people living with HIV/AIDS. Using primary data from Zambia, we estimated the impact of Food Assistance on the dietary diversity and consumption expenditures of households with HIV infected members receiving antiretroviral therapy. Propensity score matching estimates show that Food Assistance increased dietary diversity by 9.8 points (23%) mainly through the consumption of Food items provided in the ration. Food Assistance recipients were 20% points more likely to have acceptable Food consumption and 15% points less likely to have poor Food consumption than non-recipients. Food Assistance also increased Food consumption expenditures but had no significant impact on Food purchases and total consumption expenditures. Overall, our findings demonstrate that Food Assistance can be an effective instrument for improving diets and enhancing the Food security of people living with HIV/AIDS.
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The effect of Food Assistance on Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy among HIV/AIDS Patients in Sofala Province, in Mozambique: A Retrospective Study
Journal of AIDS & Clinical Research, 2013Co-Authors: Mariana Posse, Nyasha Tirivayi, Unnati Rani Saha, Rob BaltussenAbstract:Background: The availability of Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) has changed the course of HIV/AIDS, by transforming it into a chronic condition. However, important challenges remain in the management of HIV/AIDS. These challenges are exacerbated by the fact that in resource limited settings, Food insecurity and HIV/AIDS overlap. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of a Food Assistance program on adherence to ART in Sofala province, Mozambique. Methods: In order to assess the effect of the Food Assistance program on adherence we used propensity score matching with difference in differences estimation. We compared Food Assistance recipients with controls. We measured adherence based on pill pick-up, a pharmacy adherence measure. Results: During the Food Assistance programme, the adherence of Food Assistance recipients who received Food Assistance for a period of six and 12 months and non-Food Assistance recipients is not significantly different as the average impact is only 0.4% (p=0.94) and -2.3% (p=0.73) respectively. For the period after Food Assistance had been terminated, adherence is still not significantly different between the two groups, as the average impact is 5.3% (p=0.44) and 1.9% (p=0.65). Conclusion: Our study suggests that Food Assistance provided to HIV/AIDS patients in Sofala province in Mozambique had no effect on their adherence to ART. Our results indicate that although efforts have been put forth to reduce Food insecurity among HIV/AIDS patients, more should be done to ensure that these efforts really result in the improvement of adherence to ART.
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clinic based Food Assistance is associated with increased medication adherence among hiv infected adults on long term antiretroviral therapy in zambia
Journal of AIDS and Clinical Research, 2012Co-Authors: Nyasha Tirivayi, John R. Koethe, Wim GrootAbstract:Background: There has been limited research to date on the effects of Food Assistance provided to HIV-infected adults in resource-constrained settings with a high prevalence of malnutrition and chronic Food insecurity. We compare Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) adherence, weight gain, and CD4+ lymphocyte change among HIV-infected adult enrolled in a clinic-based Food Assistance program in Lusaka, Zambia versus a control group of non-recipients. Methods: We conducted a cohort study incorporating interviewer-administered surveys and retrospective clinical data to compare ART patients receiving Food Assistance with a control group of non-recipients. Medication adherence was assessed using pharmacy dispensation records. We use propensity score matching to assess the effect of Food Assistance on outcome measures. Results: After 6 months, Food Assistance recipients (n=145) had higher ART adherence compared to nonrecipients (n=147, 98.3% versus 88.8%, respectively; p<0.01), but no significant effects were observed for weight or CD4+ lymphocyte count change. The improvement in adherence rates was greater for participants on ART for less than 230 days, and those with BMI<18.5 kg/m2, a higher HIV disease stage, or a CD4+ lymphocyte count ≤ 350 cells/μl. Conclusions: Promoting optimal medication adherence among persons on ART is relevant to public health and the success of HIV control efforts. The provision of Food Assistance to HIV-infected adults on ART may have an incentivizing effect which can improve medication adherence, particularly among patients recently initiated on treatment and those with poor nutrition or advanced disease. The effects on body weight and immune reconstitution appear minimal.
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health and welfare effects of integrating aids treatment with Food Assistance in resource constrained settings a systematic review of theory and evidence
Social Science & Medicine, 2011Co-Authors: Nyasha Tirivayi, Wim GrootAbstract:The article systematically reviews theory and existing empirical evidence on the health and welfare effects of integrating AIDS treatment with Food Assistance. While theoretical predictions point to possible improvements in health, consumption and ambiguous effects on labor supply, there are few empirical studies that used robust designs. Five empirical studies are reviewed and in two of them, Food Assistance improves nutritional status, especially when provided in the form of ready to use therapeutic feeding. However because of methodological concerns, the positive effects of Food Assistance on weight gain warrant cautious interpretation. One study found a positive association between Food Assistance and adherence. While no quantitative study evaluated welfare effects, respondents in a qualitative study self-reported the resumption of labor activities, increased dietary diversity and Food consumption. There is still limited evidence on the role of duration of AIDS treatment and programmatic aspects like targeting, composition and duration of Food Assistance. The major conclusion of the paper is that there is still need for further research based on robust designs which investigates both health and household welfare effects.
Francesca Galli - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Addressing Food poverty in systems: governance of Food Assistance in three European countries
Food Security, 2018Co-Authors: Francesca Galli, Aniek Hebinck, Brídín CarrollAbstract:Emergency Food poverty relief is one of the possible entry points to understanding Food poverty in affluent societies, whereas the visibility of Food poverty relief initiatives has evolved, together with large-scale Food recovery organizations and networks aiming at reducing and valorising surplus in Food systems. There is a substantial diversity of actors and resources involved, resulting in differently shaped initiatives and programs. It can be described as a continuum encompassing third sector initiatives, large and small businesses, and institutional intervention programs: by bringing together institutions, companies, organisations and civil society, public-private Food Assistance addresses Food poverty in a way that is not viable by any of these actors alone and by adopting context specific governance arrangements. This paper contributes to this debate with the analysis of governance relations in Food Assistance initiatives across different European countries (Italy, The Netherlands and Ireland). By approaching Food Assistance from a systems perspective, we further the understanding of these initiatives and their modes of governance. The case studies offer a mapping of Food Assistance by identifying functions and outcomes, actors and resources involved, and the links the initiatives have to those elements, thus highlighting where collaborative Food poverty reduction takes place that goes beyond traditional boundaries. Food Assistance initiatives are a civil initiated response shaped by and complementing the social welfare and Food systems in which they are embedded. The interpretation of Food Assistance functions leads to challenging the boundaries of Food Assistance and potentially triggering innovative approaches to improving Food and nutrition security. Discussions show that while they have managed to find innovative and collaborative governance solutions to address the very immediate issues rather effectively, they do not negate the need for Food system transformation to address the ultimate reasons for Food poverty.
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Capturing change in European Food Assistance practices: a transformative social innovation perspective
Local Environment, 2018Co-Authors: Aniek Hebinck, Francesca Galli, Sabrina Arcuri, Brídín Carroll, Deirdre O’connor, Henk OostindieAbstract:The Food system’s decreasing ability to deliver Food security has led to the emergence of Food Assistance initiatives. Food Assistance is highly contested; as some argue, it is a “failure of the st...
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Insights on the role of private and public actors in Food Assistance provision: a literature review for High Income Countries
ECONOMIA AGRO-ALIMENTARE, 2017Co-Authors: Sabrina Arcuri, Gianluca Brunori, Francesca GalliAbstract:The recent increase in the number of people asking for Food Assistance and the expansion of the so-called ‘emergency Food system’ in High Income Countries have given rise to an academic debate on both the re-emergence of Food insecurity as a policy issue and the best solution to cope with it. When Food/agriculture policies ignore household-level Food security, welfare policy has the potential to intervene through anti-poverty measures. But when even these are not available for Food insecure people, then the task of providing Food Assistance switches to charitable organisations. Even if they have been existing for many years, what is changing now is the scale and logistics of Food Assistance delivery. Food Assistance initiatives differ greatly from each other in terms of eligibility criteria, Food handling operations, amount and quality of Food distributed, supplementary services offered and monitoring activities. Although, on the one side, this heterogeneity may imply place or community-based solutions, able to better respond to specific needs, several authors argue that they should not substitute for a governmental safety net. The question of what responsibilities for Food security should reside within the state and the charitable organisations is raised by many, along with the necessity to adopt a right-to-Food approach in dealing with it. This paper aims at analysing the academic debate on the allocation of responsibilities for Food Assistance. We did this through a literature review, in order to highlight the various combinations of private and public actors and institutions, the nature of resources used and practices involved in Food Assistance programs.
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Exploring scenario guided pathways for Food Assistance in Tuscany
2016Co-Authors: Francesca Galli, Sabrina Arcuri, Fabio Bartolini, Joost Vervoort, Gianluca BrunoriAbstract:A growing number of people in high income countries, also from the segments of population once considered secure, seek Food Assistance. Diverse Food aid initiatives and practices are developed by a range of actors to tackle Food poverty; alongside traditional difficulties, new challenges emerge from welfare expenditure cuts, the reorganization of EU Funds for the Most Deprived (FEAD) and from the spreading of surplus Food recovery practices by private companies. Based on a preliminary analysis on Food Assistance practices in Tuscany (Italy), it emerged that operators involved in Food Assistance activities are reflecting upon future developments: how is Food Assistance re-thinking its role to deal with the challenges posed by the current context of change? This work adopts a participatory scenario approach to examine pathways that can be considered robust under uncertainties in the planning context of Food Assistance. We combine the strengths of back-casted planning, which develops desirable pathways for the future, and explorative scenarios that describe plausible future contexts. Results comprise the definition of shared priority themes and plans tested across a set of downscaled scenarios. The methodology provides a promising learning tool to engage with stakeholders and foster a creative future oriented thinking approach to Food Assistance system’s vulnerability and resilience.
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Exploring scenario guided pathways for Food Assistance in Tuscany
2016Co-Authors: Francesca Galli, Sabrina Arcuri, Fabio Bartolini, Joost Vervoort, Gianluca BrunoriAbstract:Food and nutrition security in high income countries is challenged by financial crisis, austerity policies, unemployment and immigration and a growing number of people, also from those segments of population once considered secure, seek Food Assistance. Emergency Food initiatives are developed by a diverse range of actors through various instruments and approaches. Alongside the difficulties of this sector – lack of control over donation, inability to ensure nutritional requirements, stigmatization, dependency on volunteer work – new challenges emerge from welfare expenditure cuts, the reorganization of EU funds for the most deprived (FEAD) and from the spreading of surplus Food recovery practices. Based on a preliminary analysis on Food Assistance practices in Tuscany (Italy), it emerged that operators involved in Food Assistance activities are re-thinking their role to address changing needs: private companies are increasingly involved in Food Assistance operations and adjust their activities and strategies accordingly; public institutions re-think the boundaries between charitable Assistance, welfare system and market-based Food system. How is Food Assistance re-thinking its role to deal with the challenges posed by the current context of change? This work combines the strengths of two approaches by developing back-casted pathways and testing them within explorative scenarios, that describe plausible future contexts. The aim is to explore the feasibility of transformative change in different scenarios. We apply a participatory scenario approach, as a tool for future-oriented thinking, mindful of future uncertainty and the multidimensional scope required to look at planning context. Results comprise the definition of shared priority themes: governance, education and a person’s centered approach. For each, key objectives were identified and back-casted plans of actions were developed, considering a suitable time frame. These plans were then tested within and across four different scenarios of the Food Assistance system. The methodology provides a promising learning tool to engage with stakeholders and foster a creative future oriented thinking approach to Food Assistance system’s vulnerability and resilience.
Sabrina Arcuri - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Capturing change in European Food Assistance practices: a transformative social innovation perspective
Local Environment, 2018Co-Authors: Aniek Hebinck, Francesca Galli, Sabrina Arcuri, Brídín Carroll, Deirdre O’connor, Henk OostindieAbstract:The Food system’s decreasing ability to deliver Food security has led to the emergence of Food Assistance initiatives. Food Assistance is highly contested; as some argue, it is a “failure of the st...
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Insights on the role of private and public actors in Food Assistance provision: a literature review for High Income Countries
ECONOMIA AGRO-ALIMENTARE, 2017Co-Authors: Sabrina Arcuri, Gianluca Brunori, Francesca GalliAbstract:The recent increase in the number of people asking for Food Assistance and the expansion of the so-called ‘emergency Food system’ in High Income Countries have given rise to an academic debate on both the re-emergence of Food insecurity as a policy issue and the best solution to cope with it. When Food/agriculture policies ignore household-level Food security, welfare policy has the potential to intervene through anti-poverty measures. But when even these are not available for Food insecure people, then the task of providing Food Assistance switches to charitable organisations. Even if they have been existing for many years, what is changing now is the scale and logistics of Food Assistance delivery. Food Assistance initiatives differ greatly from each other in terms of eligibility criteria, Food handling operations, amount and quality of Food distributed, supplementary services offered and monitoring activities. Although, on the one side, this heterogeneity may imply place or community-based solutions, able to better respond to specific needs, several authors argue that they should not substitute for a governmental safety net. The question of what responsibilities for Food security should reside within the state and the charitable organisations is raised by many, along with the necessity to adopt a right-to-Food approach in dealing with it. This paper aims at analysing the academic debate on the allocation of responsibilities for Food Assistance. We did this through a literature review, in order to highlight the various combinations of private and public actors and institutions, the nature of resources used and practices involved in Food Assistance programs.
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Exploring scenario guided pathways for Food Assistance in Tuscany
2016Co-Authors: Francesca Galli, Sabrina Arcuri, Fabio Bartolini, Joost Vervoort, Gianluca BrunoriAbstract:A growing number of people in high income countries, also from the segments of population once considered secure, seek Food Assistance. Diverse Food aid initiatives and practices are developed by a range of actors to tackle Food poverty; alongside traditional difficulties, new challenges emerge from welfare expenditure cuts, the reorganization of EU Funds for the Most Deprived (FEAD) and from the spreading of surplus Food recovery practices by private companies. Based on a preliminary analysis on Food Assistance practices in Tuscany (Italy), it emerged that operators involved in Food Assistance activities are reflecting upon future developments: how is Food Assistance re-thinking its role to deal with the challenges posed by the current context of change? This work adopts a participatory scenario approach to examine pathways that can be considered robust under uncertainties in the planning context of Food Assistance. We combine the strengths of back-casted planning, which develops desirable pathways for the future, and explorative scenarios that describe plausible future contexts. Results comprise the definition of shared priority themes and plans tested across a set of downscaled scenarios. The methodology provides a promising learning tool to engage with stakeholders and foster a creative future oriented thinking approach to Food Assistance system’s vulnerability and resilience.
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Exploring scenario guided pathways for Food Assistance in Tuscany
2016Co-Authors: Francesca Galli, Sabrina Arcuri, Fabio Bartolini, Joost Vervoort, Gianluca BrunoriAbstract:Food and nutrition security in high income countries is challenged by financial crisis, austerity policies, unemployment and immigration and a growing number of people, also from those segments of population once considered secure, seek Food Assistance. Emergency Food initiatives are developed by a diverse range of actors through various instruments and approaches. Alongside the difficulties of this sector – lack of control over donation, inability to ensure nutritional requirements, stigmatization, dependency on volunteer work – new challenges emerge from welfare expenditure cuts, the reorganization of EU funds for the most deprived (FEAD) and from the spreading of surplus Food recovery practices. Based on a preliminary analysis on Food Assistance practices in Tuscany (Italy), it emerged that operators involved in Food Assistance activities are re-thinking their role to address changing needs: private companies are increasingly involved in Food Assistance operations and adjust their activities and strategies accordingly; public institutions re-think the boundaries between charitable Assistance, welfare system and market-based Food system. How is Food Assistance re-thinking its role to deal with the challenges posed by the current context of change? This work combines the strengths of two approaches by developing back-casted pathways and testing them within explorative scenarios, that describe plausible future contexts. The aim is to explore the feasibility of transformative change in different scenarios. We apply a participatory scenario approach, as a tool for future-oriented thinking, mindful of future uncertainty and the multidimensional scope required to look at planning context. Results comprise the definition of shared priority themes: governance, education and a person’s centered approach. For each, key objectives were identified and back-casted plans of actions were developed, considering a suitable time frame. These plans were then tested within and across four different scenarios of the Food Assistance system. The methodology provides a promising learning tool to engage with stakeholders and foster a creative future oriented thinking approach to Food Assistance system’s vulnerability and resilience.
Gianluca Brunori - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Insights on the role of private and public actors in Food Assistance provision: a literature review for High Income Countries
ECONOMIA AGRO-ALIMENTARE, 2017Co-Authors: Sabrina Arcuri, Gianluca Brunori, Francesca GalliAbstract:The recent increase in the number of people asking for Food Assistance and the expansion of the so-called ‘emergency Food system’ in High Income Countries have given rise to an academic debate on both the re-emergence of Food insecurity as a policy issue and the best solution to cope with it. When Food/agriculture policies ignore household-level Food security, welfare policy has the potential to intervene through anti-poverty measures. But when even these are not available for Food insecure people, then the task of providing Food Assistance switches to charitable organisations. Even if they have been existing for many years, what is changing now is the scale and logistics of Food Assistance delivery. Food Assistance initiatives differ greatly from each other in terms of eligibility criteria, Food handling operations, amount and quality of Food distributed, supplementary services offered and monitoring activities. Although, on the one side, this heterogeneity may imply place or community-based solutions, able to better respond to specific needs, several authors argue that they should not substitute for a governmental safety net. The question of what responsibilities for Food security should reside within the state and the charitable organisations is raised by many, along with the necessity to adopt a right-to-Food approach in dealing with it. This paper aims at analysing the academic debate on the allocation of responsibilities for Food Assistance. We did this through a literature review, in order to highlight the various combinations of private and public actors and institutions, the nature of resources used and practices involved in Food Assistance programs.
-
Exploring scenario guided pathways for Food Assistance in Tuscany
2016Co-Authors: Francesca Galli, Sabrina Arcuri, Fabio Bartolini, Joost Vervoort, Gianluca BrunoriAbstract:A growing number of people in high income countries, also from the segments of population once considered secure, seek Food Assistance. Diverse Food aid initiatives and practices are developed by a range of actors to tackle Food poverty; alongside traditional difficulties, new challenges emerge from welfare expenditure cuts, the reorganization of EU Funds for the Most Deprived (FEAD) and from the spreading of surplus Food recovery practices by private companies. Based on a preliminary analysis on Food Assistance practices in Tuscany (Italy), it emerged that operators involved in Food Assistance activities are reflecting upon future developments: how is Food Assistance re-thinking its role to deal with the challenges posed by the current context of change? This work adopts a participatory scenario approach to examine pathways that can be considered robust under uncertainties in the planning context of Food Assistance. We combine the strengths of back-casted planning, which develops desirable pathways for the future, and explorative scenarios that describe plausible future contexts. Results comprise the definition of shared priority themes and plans tested across a set of downscaled scenarios. The methodology provides a promising learning tool to engage with stakeholders and foster a creative future oriented thinking approach to Food Assistance system’s vulnerability and resilience.
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Exploring scenario guided pathways for Food Assistance in Tuscany
2016Co-Authors: Francesca Galli, Sabrina Arcuri, Fabio Bartolini, Joost Vervoort, Gianluca BrunoriAbstract:Food and nutrition security in high income countries is challenged by financial crisis, austerity policies, unemployment and immigration and a growing number of people, also from those segments of population once considered secure, seek Food Assistance. Emergency Food initiatives are developed by a diverse range of actors through various instruments and approaches. Alongside the difficulties of this sector – lack of control over donation, inability to ensure nutritional requirements, stigmatization, dependency on volunteer work – new challenges emerge from welfare expenditure cuts, the reorganization of EU funds for the most deprived (FEAD) and from the spreading of surplus Food recovery practices. Based on a preliminary analysis on Food Assistance practices in Tuscany (Italy), it emerged that operators involved in Food Assistance activities are re-thinking their role to address changing needs: private companies are increasingly involved in Food Assistance operations and adjust their activities and strategies accordingly; public institutions re-think the boundaries between charitable Assistance, welfare system and market-based Food system. How is Food Assistance re-thinking its role to deal with the challenges posed by the current context of change? This work combines the strengths of two approaches by developing back-casted pathways and testing them within explorative scenarios, that describe plausible future contexts. The aim is to explore the feasibility of transformative change in different scenarios. We apply a participatory scenario approach, as a tool for future-oriented thinking, mindful of future uncertainty and the multidimensional scope required to look at planning context. Results comprise the definition of shared priority themes: governance, education and a person’s centered approach. For each, key objectives were identified and back-casted plans of actions were developed, considering a suitable time frame. These plans were then tested within and across four different scenarios of the Food Assistance system. The methodology provides a promising learning tool to engage with stakeholders and foster a creative future oriented thinking approach to Food Assistance system’s vulnerability and resilience.
