This is the first history to be written of the World Food Programme (WFP), the food aid arm of the United Nations System. It tells the story of the antecedents and origins of WFP and growth from modest beginnings as a three-year experiment in 1963-65 to become the main source of international food aid for both disaster relief and development against the background of the evolution and development of food aid. This dual role has put WFP in the front line of the United Nations attack on poverty, hunger and food insecurity.

The aim of this publication is to provide the interested reader with an authoritative and comprehensive up-to-date bibliography on all important facets of the world food problem, encompassing such questions as the availability of natural reseources, the present and future sources of energy, environmental quality, population growth, world malnutrition, the state of food production, food consumption patterns, future food needs, toxicological aspects of food, agricultural and industrial aspects of food production, and family planning. It is the first compilation of its kind in that it covers the subject from a multidisciplinary point of view, including publications that deal with teh description and alaysis of the world food problem as well as those that offer alternative strategies adn specific technological meaures for alleviating the problem.

This book is the first comprehensive account of the numerous attempts made since the Second World War to provide food security for all. It provides a reference source for all those involved and interested in food security issues.