The Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD) was created with the enactment of Title XII of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, in December 1975. The main purpose of Title XII legislation has been to strengthen land-grant universities and other institutions to apply more effective agricultural sciences to increase world food production. BIFAD is the only Presidentially appointed board to advise and assist the Administrator for International Development in developing and implementing the official U.S. foreign assistance program.

Until recently, BIFAD was very programmatically involved with USAID activities and maintained close ties with U.S. universities. In the past two years, BIFAD has shifted its focus and taken on a more advisory role with concentration on global issues. BIFAD maintains close ties with the university community and, of its seven members, at least four are mandated to come from this sector. BIFAD members normally serve two-year terms.

The members of BIFAD provide professional, intellectual guidance to USAID and have established credibility with USDA, the Department of Commerce and the Department of State. BIFAD's members have been called on to provide Congressional testimony regarding various USAID and international programs. Mr. M.Peter McPherson is the current Chair of BIFAD.

The other members of BIFAD are Mike Deegan, William DeLauder, Stewart Iverson, Jr., Carol Lewis, Anthony Laos, and Sharon Quisenberry. The BIFAD Federal Officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development is John B. Swanson (phone: 202-712-5602).

The webmaster of this site is located at the INTSORMIL CRSP Management Entity and can be contacted at srmlcrsp@unl.edu