US Code

Public Law 119-84 (04/18/2026)

7 U.S.C. § 1691

United States policy

It is the policy of the United States to use its abundant agricultural productivity to promote the foreign policy of the United States by enhancing the food security of the developing world through the use of agricultural commodities and local currencies accruing under this chapter to—
(1)
combat world hunger and malnutrition and their causes;
(2)
promote broad-based, equitable, and sustainable development, including agricultural development;
(3)
expand international trade;
(4)
foster and encourage the development of private enterprise and democratic participation in developing countries; and
(5)
prevent conflicts.

July 10, 1954, ch. 469, § 2 68 Stat. 454 Pub. L. 89–808, § 2(A)80 Stat. 1526 Pub. L. 94–161, title II, § 20189 Stat. 850 Pub. L. 99–198, title XI, § 1111(a)99 Stat. 1474 Pub. L. 101–624, title XV, § 1512104 Stat. 3633 Pub. L. 107–171, title III, § 3001116 Stat. 280 Pub. L. 110–246, title III, § 3002122 Stat. 1821 (, ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , .)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Pub. L. 110–2462008—Pars. (4) to (6). redesignated pars. (5) and (6) as (4) and (5), respectively, and struck out former par. (4) which read as follows: “develop and expand export markets for United States agricultural commodities;”.

Pub. L. 107–1712002—Par. (6). added par. (6).

Pub. L. 101–6241990— amended section generally, substituting present provisions for provisions declaring policy of United States to expand trade, develop export markets, encourage economic development and private enterprise in developing countries, improve local food production and promote foreign policy, and requiring President to give priority to countries most affected by food shortages, encourage other donors, link assistance to local agricultural and related development, seek expanded markets for American commodities, and recognize and support American farm economy.

Pub. L. 99–1981985— included Congressional declaration of policy to use accrued foreign currencies to foster and encourage the development of private enterprise in developing countries and to enhance food security in developing countries through local food production in first sentence.

Pub. L. 94–1611975— inserted provisions of second sentence, including cls. (1) to (5), respecting considerations in furnishing food aid under this chapter.

Pub. L. 89–8081966— restated the Congressional declaration of policy to include the use of the abundant agricultural productivity of the United States to combat hunger and malnutrition and the emphasis on assistance to those developing countries that are determined to improve their own agricultural production and to exclude statement of a policy to facilitate the convertibility of currency, to make maximum efficient use of surplus agricultural commodities in furtherance of the foreign policy of the United States, to purchase strategic materials, to pay United States obligations abroad, and to promote collective strength.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Pub. L. 110–246, title III, § 3001(c)122 Stat. 1821

“Any reference in any Federal, State, tribal, or local law (including regulations) to the ‘Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954’ shall be considered to be a reference to the ‘Food for Peace Act’ [see Short Title note below].”
, , , provided that:

Effective Date of 2008 Amendment

Pub. L. 110–246section 4(b) of Pub. L. 110–246section 8701 of this titleAmendment by effective , see , set out as an Effective Date note under .

Effective Date of 1990 Amendment

Pub. L. 101–624, title XV, § 1513104 Stat. 3662

“The amendment made by section 1512 [enacting sections 1736g–1 and 1737 to 1738m of this title, amending this section and sections 1691a, 1701 to 1705, 1721 to 1726a, 1727 to 1727e, 1731 to 1736, 1736a to 1736f, and 1736g of this title, and enacting provisions set out as a note under this section] shall become effective on .”
, , , provided that:

Effective Date of 1966 Amendment

Pub. L. 89–808, § 580 Stat. 1538

section 1701 of this titlesection 1707a of this title“This Act [enacting sections 1707a, 1710, 1725, and 1736a to 1736d of this title, amending this section and sections 1431, 1431b, 1446a–1, 1701 to 1704, 1705, 1707, 1708, 1709, 1721 to 1724, and 1731 to 1736 of this title, repealing sections 1693 to 1697 of this title, and amending provisions set out as a note under ] shall take effect as of , except that section 4 [enacting ] shall take effect upon enactment [].”
, , , provided that:

Short Title of 1998 Amendment

Pub. L. 105–385, § 1(a)112 Stat. 3460

section 1241f of Title 46section 1721 of this titlesection 2293 of Title 22section 1736f–1 of this title“This Act [amending sections 1736f–1 and 4001 of this title and , Appendix, Shipping, enacting provisions set out as notes under this section, , and , Foreign Relations and Intercourse, and amending provisions set out as a note under ] may be cited as the ‘Africa: Seeds of Hope Act of 1998’.”
, , , provided that:

Pub. L. 105–385, title II, § 211112 Stat. 3465

Pub. L. 105–385section 1241f of Title 46section 1736f–1 of this title“This subtitle [subtitle B (§§ 211, 212) of title II of , amending sections 1736f–1 and 4001 of this title and , Appendix, Shipping, and amending provisions set out as a note under ] may be cited as the ‘Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act of 1998’.”
, , , provided that:

Short Title of 1992 Amendment

Pub. L. 102–532, § 1106 Stat. 3509

osection 1738m of this title“This Act [enacting sections 1738 to 1738r, 3294, and 5404 of this title and amending ] may be cited as the ‘Enterprise for the Americas Initiative Act of 1992’.”
, , , provided that:

Pub. L. 102–532, § 2106 Stat. 3509 o, , , which enacted sections 1738 to 1738r of this title, is popularly known as the “Good Neighbor Environmental Act of 1992”.

Short Title of 1990 Amendment

Pub. L. 101–624, title XV, § 1501104 Stat. 3632

“This title [see Tables for classification] may be cited as the ‘Agricultural Development and Trade Act of 1990’.”
, , , provided that:

Pub. L. 101–624, title XV, § 1511104 Stat. 3633

Pub. L. 101–624o“This subtitle [subtitle A (§§ 1511–1517) of title XV of , enacting sections 1706, 1736g–1 and 1737 to 1738m of this title and sections 1241g to 1241v of Appendix to Title 46, Shipping, amending this section and sections 1431, 1691a, 1701 to 1705, 1721 to 1726a, 1727 to 1727e, 1731 to 1736g, 1736, 1736bb–6 of this title, and section 1241f of Appendix to Title 46, and enacting provisions set out as notes under this section] may be cited as the ‘Mickey Leland Food for Peace Act’.”
, , , provided that:

Short Title of 1988 Amendment

Pub. L. 100–576, § 1102 Stat. 2897

section 1727 of this titlesection 1727 of this title“This Act [amending and enacting provisions set out as a note under ] may be cited as the ‘Bangladesh Disaster Assistance Act of 1988’.”
, , , provided that:

Short Title of 1987 Amendment

Pub. L. 100–202, § 16Pub. L. 100–418, title IV, § 4610(a)102 Stat. 1411 Pub. L. 100–202Pub. L. 104–127, title II, § 271(a)110 Stat. 976 , as added by , , , provided that sections 1 to 16 under the heading “Agricultural Aid and Trade Missions Act” of , which enacted sections 1726b and 1736bb to 1736bb–6 of this title, and amended sections 1701, 1703, 1709, 1722, 1726, and 1726a of this title, was to be cited as the “Agricultural Aid and Trade Missions Act”, prior to repeal by , , .

Short Title of 1980 Amendment

Pub. L. 96–494section 1736f–1 of this titlesection 301 of Pub. L. 96–494section 1736f–1 of this titleFor short title of title III of , which enacted , as the “Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act”, see , as added and amended, set out as a Short Title note under .

Short Title of 1966 Amendment

Pub. L. 89–808, § 180 Stat. 1526

section 1701 of this title“That this Act [enacting sections 1707a, 1710, 1725, and 1736a to 1736d, amending this section and sections 1431, 1431b, 1446a–1, 1701 to 1704, 1705, 1707, 1708, 1709, 1721 to 1724, and 1731 to 1736, repealing sections 1693 to 1697 of this title, and amending provisions set out as a note under ] may be cited as the ‘Food for Peace Act of 1966’.”
, , , provided:

Short Title

Act July 10, 1954, ch. 469, § 1 68 Stat. 454 Pub. L. 101–624, title XV, § 1512104 Stat. 3633 Pub. L. 110–246, title III, § 3001(a)122 Stat. 1820

“This Act [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Food for Peace Act’.”
, , as amended by act , , ; , , , provided that:

Minimum Level of Food Assistance

Pub. L. 100–418, title IV, § 4310102 Stat. 1399 Pub. L. 110–246, title III, § 3001(b)(1)(A)122 Stat. 1820

“(a)

Annual Minimum .—

It is the sense of Congress that—
“(1)
the United States should maintain its historic proportion of food assistance constituting one-third of all United States foreign economic assistance; and
“(2)
7 U.S.C. 16917 U.S.C. 1431(b) accordingly, the total amount of food assistance made available to foreign countries under the Food for Peace Act ( et seq.) and section 416(b) of the Agricultural Act of 1949 () should not be less than one-third of the total amount of foreign economic assistance provided for each fiscal year.
“(b)

Definition .—

For purposes of this section, the term ‘foreign economic assistance’ includes—
“(1)
22 U.S.C. 21517 U.S.C. 16917 U.S.C. 1431(b) assistance under chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 ( et seq.), the Food for Peace Act ( et seq.), section 416(b) of the Agricultural Act of 1949 (), or any other law authorizing economic assistance for foreign countries; and
“(2)
United States contributions to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Development Association, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank, or any other multilateral development bank.”
, , , as amended by , (2)(J), , , provided that:

Food Aid and Market Development

Pub. L. 100–418, title IV, § 4311102 Stat. 1400 Pub. L. 101–624, title XV, § 1571104 Stat. 3702 , , , which declared it to be the policy of the United States to use food aid and agriculturally-related foreign economic assistance programs more effectively to develop markets for United States agricultural commodities and products, and which directed the President (or, as appropriate, the Secretary of Agriculture) to encourage recipient countries under food assistance agreements entered into under any program administered by the Secretary to agree to give preference to United States food and food products in future food purchases, was repealed by , , .

Agricultural Trade and Export Policy Commission Act

Pub. L. 97–98, title XIIPub. L. 98–41298 Stat. 1576 , subtitle C (§§ 1217–1224), as added , , , known as the Agricultural Trade and Export Policy Commission Act, established a National Commission on Agricultural Trade and Export Policy to conduct a study of agriculture-related trade and export policies, programs, and practices of United States, directed Commission to submit to President and Congress a final report and recommendations by , and provided for termination of Commission 60 days thereafter.

Use of Nonprice-Supported Commodities

Pub. L. 95–113, title XII, § 120991 Stat. 957 Pub. L. 110–246, title III, § 3001(c)122 Stat. 1821

“It is the sense of Congress that there be no discrimination between ‘price-supported’ and ‘nonprice-supported’ commodities in the programming of commodities under the Food for Peace Act, as amended (Public Law 480) [which enacted this chapter and amended sections 1427 and 1431 of this title].”
, , , as amended by , , , provided that:

Special Task Force

Pub. L. 95–113, title XII, § 121091 Stat. 957 7 U.S.C. 1961, , , required the Secretary of Agriculture, not later than eighteen months after , to appoint a special task force to review and report to Congress upon the administration of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 (now Food for Peace Act), et seq.

Executive Documents

Executive Order No. 10560

Ex. Ord. No. 10560, , 19 F.R. 5927, as amended by Ex. Ord. No. 10575, , 19 F.R. 7249; Ex. Ord. No. 10685, , 21 F.R. 8261; Ex. Ord. No. 10708, , 22 F.R. 3213; Ex. Ord. No. 10746, , 22 F.R. 10027; Ex. Ord. No. 10773, , 23 F.R. 5061; Ex. Ord. No. 10782, , 23 F.R. 6971; Ex. Ord. No. 10799, , 24 F.R. 447; Ex. Ord. No. 10827, , 24 F.R. 5233; Ex. Ord. No. 10884, , 25 F.R. 8019, which provided for the delegation of administrative functions, was superseded by Ex. Ord. No. 10900, , 26 F.R. 143, formerly set out as a note under this section, and was revoked by section 1–502(a) of Ex. Ord. No. 12220, , 45 F.R. 44247, formerly set out below.

Executive Order No. 10685

Ex. Ord. No. 10685, , 21 F.R. 8261, which designated the International Cooperation Administration as the Federal agency to which funds required for ocean freight costs could be transferred by the Commodity Credit Corporation, was superseded by Ex. Ord. No. 10900, , 26 F.R. 143, formerly set out as a note under this section, and was revoked by section 1–502(b) of Ex. Ord. No. 12220, , 45 F.R. 44247, formerly set out below.

Executive Order No. 10900

Ex. Ord. No. 10900, , 26 F.R. 143, as amended by Ex. Ord. No. 10915, , 26 F.R. 781; Ex. Ord. No. 10972, , 26 F.R. 10469; Ex. Ord. No. 11036, , 27 F.R. 6653; Ex. Ord. No. 11051, , 27 F.R. 9683; Ex. Ord. No. 11963, , 42 F.R. 4325; Ex. Ord. No. 12148, , 44 F.R. 43239; Ex. Ord. No. 12163, , 44 F.R. 56673, which related to the delegation of administrative functions, was revoked by section 1–501 of Ex. Ord. No. 12220, , 45 F.R. 44247, formerly set out below.

Executive Order No. 11252

Ex. Ord. No. 11252, , 30 F.R. 13507, as amended by Ex. Ord. No. 12527, , 50 F.R. 32157, which transferred to the Secretary of State all functions of the Director of the Food-For-Peace Program, was revoked by Ex. Ord. No. 12553, , 51 F.R. 7237.

Executive Order No. 12220

Ex. Ord. No. 12220, , 45 F.R. 44245, which provided for delegation of administrative functions relating to agricultural trade development, was revoked by section 6 of Ex. Ord. No. 12752, , 56 F.R. 8256, set out below.

Ex. Ord. No. 12752. Implementation of Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954, as Amended, and Food for Progress Act of 1985, as Amended

Ex. Ord. No. 12752, , 56 F.R. 8255, as amended by Ex. Ord. No. 13044, , 62 F.R. 19665, provided:

7 U.S.C. 1691Public Law 101–6247 U.S.C. 1736oPublic Law 101–624section 301 of title 3By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 [now Food for Peace Act, et seq.], as amended by (“Agricultural Trade Development Act”), the Food for Progress Act of 1985 [], as amended by (“Food for Progress Act”), and of the United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows:

SectionEstablishment of Programs 1. . There is hereby established:

7 U.S.C. 1701(a) a program under title I of the Agricultural Trade Development Act [ et seq.] to provide for the sale of agricultural commodities to developing countries and private entities. Such program shall be implemented by the Secretary of Agriculture (hereafter referred to as the “Secretary”).

7 U.S.C. 1721(b) a program under title II of the Agricultural Trade Development Act [ et seq.] to provide for the donation of agricultural commodities to foreign countries. Such program shall be implemented by the Administrator of the Agency for International Development (hereafter referred to as the “Administrator”).

7 U.S.C. 1727(c) a program under title III of the Agricultural Trade Development Act [ et seq.] to provide for the donation of agricultural commodities to least developed countries. Such program shall be implemented by the Administrator.

SecInternational Negotiations and Accounting for Foreign Currencies. 2. . (a) The Secretary with respect to title I, and the Administrator with respect to titles II and III of the Agricultural Trade Development Act, shall negotiate and execute agreements under the Agricultural Trade Development Act in accord with section 112b of title I [sic] of the United States Code and applicable regulations and procedures of the Department of State.

7 U.S.C. 1704(b)(1) Foreign currencies that accrue to the United States under titles I and III of the Agricultural Trade Development Act may be used for the purposes set forth in section 104 and section 306 of that Act [, 1727e], respectively, in amounts consistent with applicable provisions of law and agreements. Such foreign currencies shall be subject to regulations of the Department of the Treasury governing the purchase, custody, deposit, transfer, and sale of foreign currencies received under the Agricultural Trade Development Act.

(2) The Director of the Office of Management and Budget (hereafter referred to as the “Director”) shall determine the amount of foreign currencies to be used for the purposes of section 104(c)(8) of the Agricultural Trade Development Act, and such purposes shall be carried out by the agencies with authority to pay the obligations abroad. The purposes of the remaining paragraphs of section 104(c) of that Act shall be carried out by the Department of Agriculture, utilizing, where appropriate, the expertise of other agencies.

71 Stat. 345 7 U.S.C. 1704a(3) The Secretary and Administrator shall transmit the reports required by the provisions of paragraph 5 of the Act of (; ), as related to the use of foreign currencies accruing under title I and title III of the Agricultural Trade Development Act, respectively.

SecPolicy Coordination. 3. . (a) To ensure policy coordination of assistance provided under the Agricultural Trade Development Act and the Food for Progress Act, there is hereby established a Food Assistance Policy Council (hereafter referred to as the “Council”).

(b) The Council will include senior representatives of the Department of Agriculture, the Agency for International Development, the Department of State, and the Office of Management and Budget. Meetings of the Council shall be called by the Secretary or his designee at the request of any senior representative of the Council.

7 U.S.C. 1736a(g)(1)(c) The Council shall advise the President on appropriate policies under the Agricultural Trade Development Act and the Food for Progress Act and shall coordinate decisions on allocations and other policy issues, as well as prepare the report required by section 407(g)(1) of the Agricultural Trade Development Act [].

(d) As necessary for effective coordination, the Council shall provide its advice to the President through the appropriate Cabinet-level body.

SecDelegation of Responsibilities7 U.S.C. 1733(j). 4. . (a) The function conferred upon the President in section 403(j) of the Agricultural Trade Development Act [] is hereby delegated to the Secretary of State.

7 U.S.C. 1736e(b) The functions conferred upon the President by section 411 of the Agricultural Trade Development Act [] are hereby delegated to the Secretary, in consultation with the Council and the Department of the Treasury.

7 U.S.C. 1736f(c)(c) The functions conferred upon the President by section 412(c) of the Agricultural Trade Development Act [] are hereby delegated to the Director, who shall consult with the Council on these functions.

7 U.S.C. 1737(d) The functions conferred upon the President by title V of the Agricultural Trade Development Act [] are hereby delegated to the Administrator.

7 U.S.C. 1736o(e) The functions conferred upon the President by the Food for Progress Act, as amended [], are hereby delegated to the Secretary.

SecRegulatory Review5 U.S.C. 601. 5. . Policies, regulations, and analyses required by this Executive order shall be fully consistent with the standards and criteria, analyses and procedures set forth in Executive Order Nos. 12291 and 12498 [formerly notes].

SecRevocations. 6. . Executive Order No. 12220 of , and Executive Order No. 12583 of , are revoked.