Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume II, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs

247. Action Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (Maynes) to Secretary of State Vance¹

Washington, March 1, 1978

SUBJECT

• Food Corps Proposal

Issue for Decision

Is the Food Corps a viable idea? If so, we should maintain the momentum accorded it by Ambassador Young’s speech.² Ambassador Young has requested that this memorandum be presented to you before his March 3 departure for Asia.

Essential Factors

Ambassador Young in an address given in his personal capacity to the FAO Conference on November 14, 1977, proposed the idea, first suggested by Dr. Ruth Morgenthau, of a Food Corps,³ as one step toward reducing hunger. The unique features of Food Corps are its emphasis on development at the village level, through recruitment and training of specialized volunteers coming mostly from the less developed countries, the exchange of volunteers among developing countries, and management largely by LDC officers themselves.

Though the FAO delegates had no advance notice, many spoke in favor. The West Africans expressed support, but in private conversations were concerned about having an effective voice in Food Corps and not having it tied too closely to the FAO. The Philippine President of the World Food Council and delegates from several of the industrialized countries also endorsed the proposal. A few were skeptical, particularly the Cubans and the Chinese. The Tanzanian delegation enthusiastically wanted to push a strong action resolution through the Conference. To allow further study, they softened their position. They persuaded the African Group to sponsor, and the Conference to support, a consensus declaration asking the FAO Director-General to study the proposal and report to the 74th FAO Council in November 1978.⁴

To examine the proposal within the U.S. Government, IO formed a Study Group with representation from AID, Peace Corps/ACTION, Agriculture, and USUN.⁵ The White House, OMB, and a number of congressional staffers also participated.

This memorandum only addresses the central premise behind the Food Corps proposal. The actual structure of the Food Corps and its international acceptability will only emerge after an evaluation being conducted by the FAO and proposed consultations with interested governments.

A. The Need for a Food Corps

The inter-agency Study Group concluded that the Food Corps idea is viable. Under certain conditions, it can help reduce world hunger if enough attention is paid to the lessons of the past, both of existing volunteer organizations and of food and agriculture efforts in poor countries. This conclusion was based on the following:

—Village level impact: Local as well as international volunteers working together can promote better nutrition and higher incomes at the village level by ensuring the delivery and adaptation of technical assistance and by involving villagers.

—Effectiveness of extant volunteer programs: Existing programs are involved in various anti-hunger efforts. Unfortunately, the number of volunteers is too few and the efforts are too fragmented and seldom coordinated with local volunteer programs.

—Cost effectiveness: AID estimates that the annual cost to support a development technician exceeds $60,000. Full-time volunteers would complement and extend the work of such technicians. (Peace Corps estimates that total agency cost per volunteer is $15,000.)

B. Method of Operation

The consensus of the Study Group was that the corps of food volunteers should:

—Bring the best technical expertise to bear on the food and agricultural problems of the food deficient developing countries;

—Go only where they can become an integral part of on-going rural, social and economic development efforts;

—Augment, not duplicate, current national, bilateral, multilateral, and non-governmental efforts;

—Operate with minimal bureaucracy by working through the existing international system;

—Strengthen the training and technical institutions of the developing countries and not drain their human resources;

—Establish stringent criteria for selection and training so that volunteers would be qualified both technically and in cross-cultural communication; and

—Work with local volunteers and provide for the orderly phase out of the non-local volunteers within a strict time frame.

C. Tasks

An international volunteer group would stimulate improved village food production, food storage, water management, fish farming, poultry production, range management, food processing, and marketing so as to improve nutrition.⁶

D. Cooperation between Food Corps and Existing Volunteer Organizations

The Study Group concluded that:

—Bilateral efforts are sometimes suspected of being motivated by national interest. Multilateral efforts usually best overcome these suspicions;

—The food volunteers would not compete with the Peace Corps and other such groups but could involve these groups in recruiting and perhaps training volunteers so as to engage their support, learn from their experience, and keep new costs to a minimum; and

—Joint projects could be developed to ensure that the activities and resources of the Food Corps and other volunteer programs complement one another.

Conclusions

—Volunteer programs should be seen as effective and comparatively inexpensive resources for the accomplishment of development programs. Volunteers, if suitably trained and technically supported, can complement and extend the work of experts. They can fulfill some of the tasks for which highly paid professionals traditionally have been recruited.

—Volunteers are motivated and adaptable. They reach into remote areas, and help link villagers to the available technical assistance.

—Food volunteers can promote technical cooperation among developing countries (TCDC).

Recommendations:

1. That you endorse the Study Group finding that the Food Corps concept is viable, subject to agreement on appropriate financial and institutional arrangements.⁷

2. Having approved recommendation 1, that you authorize us to discuss the Study Group’s views with FAO and selected other international organizations and governments without making any commitments on behalf of the U.S. Government.⁸

1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P780051–0081. Unclassified. Drafted by Roy Haverkamp (IO/AGR), Alberto Mora (IO/AGR), and Morgenthau on February 28; concurred in draft by Holloway; Butcher; Shear; Handwerger; Luzzato; Kriesberg; Boyle; Farrar; and Vernon Johnson. Byrnes initialed for all the officials with the exception of Morgenthau and Mora. Mora also initialed for Haverkamp.
2. See footnote 9, Document 245.
3. Morgenthau, a Brandeis University political science professor, represented the United States on the UN Commission for Social Development of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). In a September 6, 1977, memorandum to Vance, Morgenthau noted that she had been “exploring the idea of creating an international Food Corps during the past few months.” (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P770175–1207) In telegram 3161 from USUN, September 20, 1977, Young indicated that the Mission had been analyzing the question of the Food Corps relationship “to existing agencies with an interest in food and agriculture.” (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D770342–0745)
4. In telegram 19687 from Rome, November 30, 1977, the Embassy transmitted the text of the consensus declaration, adding: “We believe this successfully launches the international Food Corps idea.” (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D770444–0385)
5. In an October 18, 1977, memorandum to Gilligan and Samuel Brown, Christopher indicated that the review of Morgenthau’s proposal would focus upon the general merits of a food corps, taking into account budgetary and programmatic issues, in addition to the program’s relevancy in light of other bilateral and multilateral development programs. (National Archives, RG 59, Office of the Deputy Secretary: Records of Warren Christopher, 1977–1980, Lot 81D113, Box 8, Memos/Letters FM WC to Agencies)
6. Vance underlined most of this paragraph.
7. Vance approved this recommendation on March 1.
8. Vance approved this recommendation on March 1. Telegram 2595 from USUN to multiple diplomatic posts, June 20, 1979, transmitted a Food Corps progress report, highlighting the creation of the Corps d’Alimentation du Sahel (CAS) and establishment of a Tanzanian Food Corps, among other projects. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790282–0364) A June 1979 “Food Corps Progress Report,” prepared by the Presidential Commission on World Hunger’s Ad Hoc Committee on Food Corps, is in the Carter Library, RG 220, Presidential Commission on World Hunger, Box 13, Food Corps.