The question is whether or not the aid dollars provided by the international community are being well-invested. Food aid alone cost donors more than $4 billion between 1985 and 1992. Many believe that too much foreign assistance is being provided to address the symptoms of crisis in the region, while too little is being allocated to address the problems that cause them. The time has come for the international donor community to address the broader causes of disaster by placing a strategic focus on sustainable development while responding to the existing and impending crises in the region.
The rationale behind this recommitment is clear: The international community -- of which the governments and people of the Greater Horn are members -- can no longer afford to commit massive resources to the region that have little development payoff.
The proposed goal of this renewed effort is to achieve food security in the Horn. Food insecurity is both a cause and effect of crisis in the region and is, therefore, inextricably bound to crisis prevention. Drought and civil strife, two important sources of food insecurity, appear to be increasing in this region (Figure 1). Crisis prevention -- averting the horrors of another Somalia or Rwanda -- is an important objective. Collaboration on achieving food security is the wedge that breaks the "cycle of despair." Everyone living in the Greater Horn of Africa region, and everyone who is committed to its development, has a stake in achieving sustainable food security in the region. New ways of thinking, new ways of acting and new institutions should be adopted and supported by all partners in the region.
Humanitarian, political and development interests converge on this problem. Food insecurity reduces peoples' quality of life and fosters the social, political, environmental and economic instability associated with recurring crises.
