In this special issue:

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations was founded at Quebec City, Canada, on 16 October 1945. Among other activities designed to mark the 40th anniversary of that occasion, the Director-General of FAO, Edouard Saouma, invited a number of world leaders to participate in the presentation of authoritative viewpoints on the global problems of hunger, poverty and underdevelopment. Nine heads of state or government responded to specific questions prepared by the editors of Ceres. This special number of our review is devoted to their replies, which we are publishing in English alphabetical order of the countries represented. We are pleased to share these authoritative statements with our readers. - The Editors.