The World Food Conference was one of a series of major UN gatherings that have recently taken place or are being planned in the near future to discuss major problems confronting the entire mankind. The world food situation deteriorated significantly in 1972, when the total food production declined from the preceding year for the first time in 20 years. The future food scenario is not optimistic because the demand for food in developing countries is expected to increase at about 3.6% per year during 1972 to 1985, compared with the average annual increase of 2.6% during the preceding 12 years. If these basic rates are not maintained, developing market economy countries will have to import 85 x 106 tons of food annually by 1985 in normal years, and over 100 x 106 in years of bad harvests. Thus, their food import bill, at the average 1973–1974 cereal price of $200 per ton, could become $17 × 109 per annum by 1985 in normal years.
The Conference hoped to secure pledges of immediate aid to alleviate the present crisis and sought to establish methods to help poor countries finance food purchases, to induce rich countries to provide capital and technical aid to help developing countries improve domestic production, and to create an international grain reserve system to prevent local famines. In general, there was agreement that in the short run food exporting countries must maximize production efforts, but the only solution in the long run lay in increasing production in developing countries where food is needed. Priority would have to be given to food and agriculture in development plans and huge increases in agricultural investment are necessary.
The major achievement of the Conference was the creation of a World Food Council which is a kind of senior ministerial committee with 36 members and its own small secretariat in Rome, associated with FAO but independent of it. An International Fund for Agricultural Development was approved but the major question of how it would be funded was left undecided. It also approved an International Undertaking on World Food Security, which is a long-term plan to have reserve stocks to avert the kind of dangerous fluctuations and food shortages that have been occurring. Among other approved resolutions were a programme to supply pesticides to developing countries, more scientific water management, increased support for the International Fertilizer Supply Scheme established in July 1974, expansion of agricultural research and training, a nutrition aid programme, seed industry development, better soil protection and conservation techniques, recognition of women’s role in agriculture and food and the need for better balance between population and food supply.
The paper is a detailed analysis of the Conference including its background and achievements.
By Margaret R. Biswas and Asit K. Biswas, 1975. Article published in Agriculture and Environment, Volume 2, Issue 1, pages 15–37. DOI: 10.1016/0304-1131(75)90003-X