The World Food Day Teleconference will be an unprecedented national forum on food and hunger issues.Employing modern satellite technology, the teleconference provides participants with an opportunity to share their views in a National Town Meeting.

The teleconference brings national and international leaders together with thousands of individuals at sites around the United States.Participants will discuss ways to alleviate hunger and are encouraged to devise specific policies arid strategies for building global food security.

In the U.S. World Food Day's primary objective is to help focus American compassion, energy and vision on national efforts to develop comprehensive farm, food and health policies for all Americans and for all people.  The Day is particularly symbolic this year as 1984 marks the 10th anniversary of the World Food Conference, where the pledge was made by governments to eliminate hunger in a single decade, and the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Food for Peace program. By emphasizing year-around action against hunger. World Food Day helps mobilize community resources to meet human need at home and around the world.

With simultaneous participation in every region of the country, the teleconference will stress that the United States is the keystone nation in the world food economy. This special status of the U.S. raises significantly different policy issues for Americans today as compared to only thirty years ago.  Some of these issues are:  

1. Hunger and malnutrition continue to be a worldwide problem, a challenge to every country.  Given the fact that the technical capability exists to provide an adequate diet for every person, how can this potential be realized?U.S. do, and what can the U.S.
2. The vitality of the agricultural sector is an economic problem for all countries - both developed and developing.  Protection of, and support for, agricultural enterprise is central to fulfilling the individual's need for food.  How can U.S. agriculture remain healthy; and how can the U.S. contribute to a healthy world agriculture?
3. Africa, for the third time in the past 12 years, is suffering from widespread crop failure, food shortages and areas of actual famine.  While the main reason for these catastrophes has been drought, there is a growing view that much of the problem stems from other causes — ill-chosen agricultural policies, over-rapid population growth, political disturb- ances and others.  What should African countries do, and how can the U.S. and the international community help, to alleviate the continent's worsening food crisis?  
4. In many countries the women in the households farm the land and make the decisions which determine whether the harvest is successful — whether the family has sufficient food.  Ye women do not participate fully at local, national and world levels in decisions which affect food and agriculture and determine national and world strategies on hunger, food and agriculture.  What attitudes and policies need to be changed both nationally and internationally and how can these changes be encouraged?
5.  American land and water resources are finite.  Are we pushing them too far, as some believe?  How great a danger are current rates of soil erosion, water table depletion, chemical use and other factors of production?  Is there a use threshold we should not cross?  

The national teleconference will provide a forum for these issues and others. The program will examine ideas and proposals that will be framed in the regional experiences of the national audience.These ideas and proposals will be included in the final summary report on the program compiled by the National Committee for World Food Day from the individual site reports.

The program format will consist of three distinct segments and will be moderated by Dr. William A. Dando, a social geographer who is a world authority on famine. A professor of geography at the University of North Dakota, Dando is the author of books and monographs on world famines. He considers famine to be a social malfunction — that hunger is the consequence of socio-political, cultural and economic decisions.

During the first program hour, the panelists will examine world agricultural conditions from varying perspectives.  The panelists and their issue areas are:  

1. Secretary John R. Block of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who will discuss U.S. food and agricultural policy and the U.S. role in the global food economy.
2. Ambassador 'M'Alineo Tau of the southern African nation of Lesotho. Madame Tau will describe the impact of the food crisis in Africa and the special concerns of Third World women in agriculture.
3. Rep. Mickey Leiand will comment on the testimony received by the Select Committee on Hunger on the food crisis in Africa.  As chairperson of the committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, Mr. Leiand will also discuss the committee's policy mandate.
4. Dr. Ruth Finney of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization will deal with the role of women in agriculture, especially in the Third World, and FAO's programs in this area.
5. Dr. Frederick Hutchinson will explain the purpose and work of the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development of which he is Executive Director.  He will also comment on the general work of USAID programs overseas.
6. Fr. William Byron will provide the 10-year review of the imple- mentation of strategies developed by the 1974 World Food Conference. President of Catholic University and one of the founders of Bread for the World, Fr. Byron will provide the non-governmental per- spective as well as an ethical/religious position. 

The second hour, when the satellite is dark, is the key to the success of the teleconference.  Each local site will discuss the issues that have been raised and/or hear from other speakers.  The local discussions should be lively and intense, and will bring local and regional perspectives to national and world issues.  Each site is asked to develop questions to call in for response by the national panel.  Sites are also strongly encouraged to use part of their discussion time to develop recommendations for action.

In the third hour, the National Town Meeting resumes with the question and answer period.  As many questions as possible will be taken, both live and in clusters screened for redundancy.  Each site should designate  one person to call in their questions, and should help ensure that the questions are as brief and clear as possible.

Following the teleconference, the National Committee office will prepare a report on the issues raised and recommendations made during the teleconference. This report will be presented to top officials of the U.S. government, mem- bers of Congress, and directors of international food agencies.  It will be sent to all teleconference participating sites, and we also plan for this report to become part of our public education program for World Food Day study in 1985.

Through curricular development on World Food Day issues, strengthened re- lationships between colleges and local community groups, and the sharing of views among all participants, both at the sites and in Washington, D.C., the teleconference can be a unique catalyst for action against hunger.  Thank you for your participation and your support.