FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION

(FAO) oldest permanent specialized agency of the United Nations, established at the end of World War II with the objective of eliminating hunger and improving nutrition. The FAO seeks to coordinate the efforts of governments and technical agencies in programs for developing agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. The FAO carries on research; provides technical assistance on a project basis to individual countries; operates an educational program through seminars and training centres; maintains statistics on world production, trade, and consumption of agricultural commodities; and publishes a number of periodicals, yearbooks, and research bulletins. The permanent headquarters of the FAO are in Rome, with other offices throughout the world. The organization is governed by the biennial FAO conference, in which each member country is represented. The conference elects a council consisting of representatives of member governments. An Indicative World Plan for Agricultural Development was issued in 1969, analyzing the main problems in world agriculture and suggesting strategies for their solution. From the 1960s on, the FAO concentrated on programs for the development of high-yield strains of grain, the elimination of protein deficiencies, the provision of rural employment, and the promotion of agricultural exports.