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The Committee was of the opinion that such surveys are essential in any approach to the current food crisis, and recommended:— (a) That an international food, agriculture, and fisheries service should be created to which should be entrusted the task of preparing such appraisals, providing complete and accurate information about the current aspects of the world food situation, and keeping the situation under continuous review. (b) That the Director-General of FAO should be requested to establish this service, to be called the " FAO Research and Information Service," as a matter of immediate urgency; and that the personnel of the Service should be recruited on a wide geographical basis, in order to include individuals with special knowledge of different regions. (c) That the FAO Research and Information Service should publish its first appraisal of the world food situation, in sequence with the appraisal presented to this meeting, between 1 and 15 September, 1946. By that time the size of the 1946 harvest in the Northern Hemisphere will be approximately known and this should make it easier to forecast trends in the world food situation during the ensuing year. (d) That, in order to improve the accuracy of this appraisal, Governments should be asked to comment on figures and estimates included in the Appraisal of the World Food Situation, 1946-47, of 14 May, 1946, with which they are specially concerned. (&) That subsequent appraisals should be made quarterly at least as long as the world food situation remains serious, the same procedure being followed with regard to obtaining .comments from Governments as is suggested in (cZ). The Committee recommended the following with regard to the functioning of the Research and Information Service:— (a) That the methods of establishing and running the Research and Information Service should be worked out by FAO itself. (b) That FAO should acquaint Governments as to the kind of information required; this will include estimates and forecasts of food production and utilization, data about stocks and rations, and all other material, published or unpublished, relevant to the emergency food situation. (c) That FAO should, in consultation with the international allocating body, request Governments to arrange for the collection and rapid transmission to FAO of the information needed by the Research and Information Service. (d) That contact between the FAO Research and Information Service and the appropriate agencies in the countries concerned should be established. (e) That the assistance of intergovernmental and governmental agencies at present engaged in making studies of various aspects of the world food situation should be sought by FAO. (/) That, since in the collection and analysis of statistical material questions will arise from time to time which cannot be settled at the headquarters of the FAO Service, arrangements should be made for members of the Service to visit countries for the clarification of the problems, adjustment of difficulties, &c. (g) That, to ensure that satisfactory information, prepared on a uniform basis, is made available to Governments, the Service should undertake any necessary analysis of relevant material. In cases in which Governments are not in a position to transmit timely and adequate data, the Service should make the best possible estimates for inclusion in its appraisals.

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