Mitigating the health impact of a famine: Evidence from the 1985 Ethiopian emergency food aid

We examine the long-term mitigating impact of emergency food aid on health status using the food aid response to the Ethiopian famine in 1984 as a case study. Employing novel geospatial data on the location of relief camps where emergency food was distributed, we estimate the effect of proximity to a camp on height in adulthood. We compare different birth timings (born before or during versus after the relief operation) and different villages of birth (born close to versus far from a camp), exploiting plausibly exogenous variation in accessibility to emergency aid. Access to relief operation in early childhood leads to higher stature in adulthood. Aid beneficiaries also display higher later-life labor productivity in the agricultural sector, which suggests that the long-term health consequence of emergency aid may have translated into gains in agricultural productivity. • Emergency food aid delivered via relief camps during the 1984–85 Ethiopian famine improved long-term health outcomes. • Children born near relief camps were significantly taller as adults. • Aid beneficiaries display higher labor productivity in agriculture, suggesting long-term health gains translated into economic benefits. • Localized interventions during climate shocks can build resilience through long-term human capital gains.