კონფერენცია

∘ Khatuna Todua ∘
FOOD AID FOR SOCIALLY VULNERABLE POPULATION – WORLD EXPERIENCE AND GEORGIA

Summary

The necessity of food aid as of an important element of state guardianship of modern market economy, which partially compensates income and social inequality and minimizes social deprivation, is undeniable.

The principles and mechanisms of domestic national (for example, the United States of America) and supranational (for example, the European Union) state food aid to the poor and other vulnerable groups of the population in developed countries are very clear and effective.

Besides the state, NGOs also play the role in the systems of state food aid. For example, Feeding America is a United States-based nonprofit organization that is a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks that feed more than 46 million people through food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other community-based agencies. The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) supports EU countries′ actions to provide food and/or basic material assistance to the most deprived.

In Georgia, as in other countries there are groups of population, which, for different reasons, do not have equal access to economic and social goods and services, the poverty level within the population of Georgia reaches 21,3 %, and the poverty leads to poor nutrition.

According to FAO, 8,2 percent of Georgia′s population (more than 300 thousand persons) suffer from poor nutrition. So in Georgia, the national food aid system′s further development is very important.

The main principle of social policy of Georgia, which is mainly intended to avert the shock which is caused by extreme poverty, is to provide state resources for the poorest persons as identified by an evaluation system.In order to better reach the targeted vulnerable groups local governments in regions and autonomous areas implements small-scale social programs in addition to the large-scale programs financed by the central budget. The important aid is provided by free canteens for vulnerable members of society , for example the homeless. But the efficacy of this aid is limited - it remains hard for some beneficiary families to escape poverty and also many families remain without any assistance. To overcome these obstacles requires an improvement in the methodology used to reach out vulnerable people.

The state should pursue the course of development of ,,state guardianship″ in the field of ensuring food security of the population, taking into account it′s correlation with the size and differentiation of income.

Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University Paata Gugushvili Institute of Economics International Scientific C O N F E R E N C E S "ECONOMY – XXI CENTURY"

E ISSN 2587 - 4691	∘ Khatuna Todua ∘ FOOD AID FOR SOCIALLY VULNERABLE POPULATION – WORLD EXPERIENCE AND GEORGIA Summary The necessity of food aid as of an important element of state guardianship of modern market economy, which partially compensates income and social inequality and minimizes social deprivation, is undeniable. The principles and mechanisms of domestic national (for example, the United States of America) and supranational (for example, the European Union) state food aid to the poor and other vulnerable groups of the population in developed countries are very clear and effective. Besides the state, NGOs also play the role in the systems of state food aid. For example, Feeding America is a United States-based nonprofit organization that is a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks that feed more than 46 million people through food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other community-based agencies. The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) supports EU countries′ actions to provide food and/or basic material assistance to the most deprived. In Georgia, as in other countries there are groups of population, which, for different reasons, do not have equal access to economic and social goods and services, the poverty level within the population of Georgia reaches 21,3 %, and the poverty leads to poor nutrition. According to FAO, 8,2 percent of Georgia′s population (more than 300 thousand persons) suffer from poor nutrition. So in Georgia, the national food aid system′s further development is very important. The main principle of social policy of Georgia, which is mainly intended to avert the shock which is caused by extreme poverty, is to provide state resources for the poorest persons as identified by an evaluation system.In order to better reach the targeted vulnerable groups local governments in regions and autonomous areas implements small-scale social programs in addition to the large-scale programs financed by the central budget. The important aid is provided by free canteens for vulnerable members of society , for example the homeless. But the efficacy of this aid is limited - it remains hard for some beneficiary families to escape poverty and also many families remain without any assistance. To overcome these obstacles requires an improvement in the methodology used to reach out vulnerable people. The state should pursue the course of development of ,,state guardianship″ in the field of ensuring food security of the population, taking into account it′s correlation with the size and differentiation of income.