International Food Aid and Development Conference Scheduled for May 7-9, 2012, in Kansas City, Mo.

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2012 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today that the 14th annual International Food Aid and Development Conference will be held in Kansas City, Mo., May 7-9, 2012. The theme of this year's conference is "From Harvest to Basket: Weaving Together Agricultural Markets and Food Security."

Special guest speakers include the Republic of Congo's Minister of Education Rosalie Kama-Niamayoua, Angola's Ministry of Education National School Feeding Coordinator Domingos Torres, USDA's Acting Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Michael Scuse, USAID's Assistant Administrator Nancy Lindborg, Pioneer Hi-Bred President Paul Schickler, and Chicago Council on Global Affairs Senior Fellow and Professor Emeritus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Dr. Robert Thompson.

The International Food Aid and Development Conference provides a forum to address policy and operational issues related to food aid and development, as well as ways to improve communication and cooperation among government, non-profit charitable and non-governmental organizations, and agricultural and transportation industry representatives. The conference also gives participants an opportunity to network with one another and discuss food security, nutrition, public-private partnerships, sustainable school feeding, commodity management, storage, and quality control, and food aid operations, programming, collaboration, monitoring, and evaluation.

May 7-9, 2012

WHAT: International Food Aid and Development Conference
WHO: U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Agency for International Development
WHERE: Westin Crown Center Hotel
1 East Pershing Road
Kansas City, Mo.

For more information about the conference, including details on registration, visit FSA's website at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/ifac. People with disabilities who need accommodations to attend or participate should contact Lance Simson at (816) 823-3202 or Lance.Simson@kcc.usda.gov.

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Contact:
Linda Habenstreit 
(202) 720-9442
Media Advisory No. 5094.12

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