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1. PERIODIC REPORTS
In accepting the Constitution of the Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations, the signatory nations undertook “ to
report to one another on the measures taken
and the progress achieved in the fields of
action set forth ” in the Preamble to the Con
stitution. The present is not a time in which
much progress toward these objectives can be
recorded.
Most nations are occupied with
keeping hunger from their doors.
The periodic reports, however, offer the best
possible means for Governments to present
the current situation in food and agriculture
and the problems they face — information
that is needed if FAO is to be of service to
them. Member Governments were therefore
urged to prepare these reports in advance of
the Geneva Conference, so that they might be
used in connexion with the first annual review
of the world food and agriculture situation
and outlook, which it is proposed should
become a main feature of the Conference of
FAO in accordance with the recommendations
of the Preparatory Commission on World Food
Proposals x.
Altogether, 19 reports have so far been
received from member Governments and
others will be available before the Conference
meets.
This is a gratifying response when
it is remembered that such reports are a
new feature in international affairs and that
this is a year of exceptional political and
economic difficulty. Most of them cover a
2. SUPPLIES
The world still faces scarcity.
In the
period from July 1947 to June 1948, food out
put in the deficit countries may be somewhat
less than in the previous 12 months. Al
though the output of potatoes, sugar, and fats
1 “ Intergovernmental consultation on plans
and programmes for agriculture, for nutrition,
and for international trade in agricultural pro
ducts should form an integral and important
part of the regular sessions of the FAO Confer
ence... We recommend that a first attempt be
made to conduct such a general review at the
regular 1947 session of the FAO Conference.’’
FAO,
Report of the FAO Preparatory Commis
sion on World Food Proposals,
Washington,
D. C., February 1947, pp. 51, 52.
wide range of subjects and many contain a
wealth of valuable information which will be
useful in enabling FAO to strengthen its ser
vices to Governments. Next year it is hoped
that, with more ample notice in advance, all
member countries will be able to submit
reports.
Material in the reports received so far has
been heavily drawn upon to build a picture
of the current situation and of likely develop
ments immediately ahead.
In addition to
these periodic reports, FAO has used infor
mation made available at the meetings of the
Preparatory Commission and at a number of
other meetings convened to discuss particular
situations and important commodities, as well
as statistical and other data supplied directly
by Governments or collected by the Organ
ization from other sources. Details are given
in a series of documents on special topics
already circulated to Governments.
The purpose of the present review of
The
State o f Food and Agriculture
is to summarize
these facts and bring out the principal issues
on which the Geneva Conference will want
to take decisions. These are primarily issues
of national and international policy. A com
panion report previously sent to Governments
— the
Second Annual Report of the Director-
General to the FAO Conference
2 — was
mainly concerned with the work of FAO
during the past year.
The two documents
should be considered together.
IN 1947/48
will probably be larger, and although a
modest increase in output of livestock pro
ducts may occur in certain areas, all this gain
may well be offset by the fall in cereals output
caused by adverse weather.
The gradual
post-war recovery of world agriculture has
this year received a temporary check in many
regions on account of factors outside the con
trol of man.
The export of food from surplus countries
may perhaps be increased sufficiently to offset2
2 FAO, Second
Annual Report of the Direc
tor-General to the FAO Conference,
Washing
ton, July 1947.
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