The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), a nongovernmental multidisciplinary international research institution, provide: an excellent setting in which to undertake a research effort to explore national and international food policy options. The Food and Agriculture Program (FAP) of IIASA, initiated in 1976, was conceived with recognition of the importance of interdependence and an appreciation of the unique advantages offered by IIASA. The experience so far has borne out these feelings.