Release No. 0291.96
Remarks
                                
              Prepared for Secretary Dan Glickman
                U.S. Forum on World Food Summit
                  Washington, DC--June 3, 1996
                                

     Thank you for coming today and participating in our first public forum
on the World Food Summit. The views and ideas that you share with us are
immensely important as we proceed in the development of a United States
position for this November Summit in Rome. 

     Last fall, I spoke to the Food and Agriculture Organization's
ministerial meeting in Quebec. I told the delegates that President Clinton
believes strongly in the importance of food production and distribution to
the welfare of the international community.

     Global food security is one of his priorities, and the United States 
will continue to play a leadership role in helping other countries overcome
hunger and malnutrition.

     USDA, the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International
Development, and a number of other agencies have been working together to
prepare for the Summit. Today's forum is part of that ongoing process.

DOMESTIC FOOD SECURITY

     The fight to end hunger has been going on for a long time -- much too
long.

     Even here in the United States, one of the richest nations in the
world, USDA has battled hunger and malnutrition since the 1930s.
     
     We run the food stamp program that helps 27 million low-income
Americans put food on the table. We run the Women, Infants and Children
program, so pregnant women get the nutrition they need for healthy babies,
and newborns get a good nutritional start in life. And USDA runs the school
lunch program to ensure 25 million kids don't have to learn on an empty
stomach.
     
     But it's not enough. 

     I've recently committed USDA to leading a national effort to
coordinate public and private projects to recover healthful, uneaten food
before it goes to waste.

     Food recovery is one of my highest personal priorities as Secretary of
Agriculture. I believe government must continue to take a leading role in
ending hunger in America.

GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY

     Government also has a role globally in food security. Though some in
this country still  experience hunger and malnutrition, we are fortunate
that we have never experienced famine.

     We are an exception. For many countries, food security is a matter of
national security. Therefore, it is a matter of  world peace. Helping the
less fortunate is our humanitarian duty, and we all must take up the
challenge.

     Over the past two decades, the international community has taken great
strides in reducing the number of chronically undernourished people in
developing countries. Still, almost 800 million people continue to suffer.
That is simply unacceptable.

     Since 1950, the U.S. has contributed more than $220 billion in
official development assistance grants and loans to support economic
development of low-income countries.

     I am proud to say that agriculture has been the flagship of this
assistance program.Over the past 42 years, PL-480, the U.S. Food for Peace
Program, has provided 370 million metric tons of commodities valued at $47
billion. But today we must look to the future.

LONG AND SHORT TERM

     In the short term, weather conditions have caused a sharp decline in
95/96 world cereal production, and an accompanying decline in end-of-year
world cereal stocks to the lowest level in 20 years. The result has been a
large increase in international cereal prices, which is aggravating food
costs for some importing countries.

     We believe strongly that this situation is short-term. We must work
through the current price spikes. We should not let them distract us from
the long-term, structural problem of food security that needs to be dealt
with.

     In the long term, a study by USDA's Economic Research Service shows
that even under relatively favorable assumptions, available food aid will be
increasingly inadequate to meet the future  emergency and chronic needs of
certain countries.

SELF-RELIANCE 

     Therefore, reliance only on food aid is not the answer. We must begin
to look for ways to enable food-deficit countries to take greater
responsibility for their own food security.

     As many traditional donor nations face budget concerns, food aid and
development assistance will continue to diminish. Hard decisions will have
to be made to reduce dependence on external assistance and increase self-reliance in food-deficit countries.

     A recent FAO paper suggests developing countries can do a lot by:
     changing policies that do little to encourage agricultural production;     
     allowing the market to work in a free flow of goods;
     and assuring a climate of political stability to encourage investment.

     The core issue is finding the political will to focus attention, and
resources, on the food system and on rural society -- to recast policies to
favor agriculture.  At the same time, new agricultural production policies
should be based on comparative advantage, not agricultural  protectionism.

     The U.S. certainly doesn't have all the answers, but we stand ready to
work with all countries that are committed to taking steps toward greater
self-reliance in food.


FREER AND FAIR TRADE

     As we consider steps to improve food security, we should keep in mind
that the Uruguay Round was not the end of the process of trade
liberalization. More work remains to be done in the years ahead, and the
U.S. will continue to take a leadership role in that process.

     In response to concerns that it could present short-term problems in
agriculture for developing countries, especially low-income, food-deficit
countries, the Agreement recognized the special needs of these countries by
providing them special treatment for a transition period.

     Also, keep in mind that the Uruguay Round Agreement is expected to
stimulate growth in the world economy by as much as $5 trillion over 10
years.

     This world economic growth will stimulate foreign investment in
developing countries -- investment which will boost their gross domestic
products and bring the added benefits of technology transfer. The developing
countries that adjust most effectively will reap the most benefit from
liberalized trade.

     On the other hand, the benefits to all nations that we expect from
trade reforms would be stifled by introducing production-  and trade-distorting policies in the name of food security.

     We continue to stand by our commitment to freer and fairer trade. We
will remain an open market and reliable supplier to the world.

CONSERVATION

     Just as we shouldn't look at low stocks and high prices as a situation
that will continue indefinitely, neither should we look at the rising rate
of agricultural production as a given.

     My mother used to tell me a story about a farmer who had a goose that
laid golden eggs -- one each day. To get all the eggs at once, the
shortsighted farmer killed the goose -- and got no more eggs AT ALL. It's a
cautionary tale which all nations would do well to heed.

     We must conserve and sustain the farmland and water we need to produce
food. The integration of environmental concerns into sustainable development
is essential to long-term food security.

RESEARCH

     A few years back, The Economist suggested seven wonders of the modern
world. These were things that would stun any person from another century who
saw and understood them.


     No sooner was the list printed, than the magazine received over 150
suggestions for the 8th wonder. Various improvements in agriculture got
several votes. However, the editors wrote, "The huge increase in the world's
food production is wonderful, but it is the result of many moderate wonders,
not one big one."

     To me, those "moderate wonders" are spectacular examples of
agricultural research.

     To meet the growing demand for food and fiber worldwide as well as to
conserve our natural resources, we will need all the technology we can
With global population expected to nearly double in 40 years, global food
security will hinge on scientific innovation.

     Fortunately, the U.S. has a rich history of public- and private-funded
research. To feed the world of the next century, technology must be our ally
-- to find a heartier strain of wheat, reduce our reliance on chemicals and
pesticides, or produce crops with far less water.

     We are already developing new breeds of plants that will improve
nutrition levels in developing countries, including high lysine rice and
carrots rich in beta carotene. Research like this is a crucial factor in the
food security equation.

     Furthermore, as we rely increasingly on products created by new
technologies, we will simply have to be rational about the use of
biotechnology.  We must apply timely, science-based, and fair review
procedures to its application and its products.

U.S. COMMITMENT

     Overall, we must stand by our commitment to help developing nations
find solutions to their growing food needs.

     Today, the world is more connected than ever before by trade in goods
and services, information and ideas. Countries must beware of the dangers of
political and economic isolationism. It inevitably leads to a lower standard
of living, to fewer jobs, and to a greater risk of conflict.

     While the impetus for food security must come from the developing
countries themselves, we recognize that the donor community also has an
important role to play.

     Like other nations, we are using our preparation for the Food Summit
as an opportunity to consider our future policies in world food security. We
will continue to provide leadership for an integrated approach to economic
growth.

     This means an approach that includes:
     food aid....,
     development assistance...,
     recognition of the essential role of women, population, and health
     factors...,
     critical attention to sustainable development..,
     and strong support for agricultural research.

     I will be the first to say that we don't have all the answers right
now. That is why we are seeking your views here today. I see this forum as
the continuation of an ongoing process leading up to the Rome Summit.

CONCLUSION

     No nation can go it alone in this world. The world is getting smaller
and more connected than ever before.

     The World Food Summit will focus necessary international attention on
the critical issue of world food security. The United States is committed to
working to make this summit an important and productive event. 

     We look forward to your valuable insights in helping us to address the
problems of hunger, famine, and malnutrition at home and around the world.

     Thank you for coming.

                                #

NOTE: USDA news release and media advisories are available on the Internet.
Access the USDA Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://www.usda.gov