Food and Agriculture Organization Celebrates 75 Years

Tim Hammerich

News Reporter

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations celebrated 75 years last week. What many might not realize is the idea for the global organization can be traced back to a farmer from, you guessed it, right here in California.

Here’s USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue.

Perdue… “The concept for an international intergovernmental organization to champion solutions in agriculture came from David Lubin of California. Mr. Lubin was concerned with the plight of the farmers during times of economic depression and work to persuade ministers in several countries to build on his idea for international collaboration.”

This idea made its way all the way to the then president of the United States.

Perdue… “At the invitation that president Franklin Delano Roosevelt 44 countries met in hot Springs, Virginia, 1943, to build a plan for the new permanent organization, that was the, become the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.”

Speaking on the anniversary of the FAO, Secretary Perdue expressed his pride in how instrumental the U.S. and Canada was to getting the organization started.

Perdue… “Today's commemoration aligns in time with the very first session of the FAO conference held in Quebec, Canada in 1945. The U S and Canada were pivotal in launching the FAO, which makes it particularly rewarding to me and minister Bibeau to celebrate the 75th anniversary.”