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4. Fisheries, Forestry, and Non-food Agricultural Products (a) Fisheries and Marine Products 51. Fisheries furnish a considerable part of the world's food-supply ; in some areas they are more important than agriculture as a source of food. Vitamin-rich oils extracted from the livers of cod, sharks, and other fish have in recent years assumed great importance in nutrition and therapy. Fisheries also furnish important by-products, such as fertilizer materials, protein feeds for live-stock, industrial oils, leather, and various chemicals. The technical and economic problems of those engaged in fishing require largely similar treatment to the problems of those engaged in farming. Improving the production, handling, storing, processing, and distribution of fish is vital in any concerted effort among nations to raise the nutritional levels and the standards of living of populations. 52. Few, if any, types of food production yield returns as quickly as does fishing. This fact will be of special significance after the war when there will be a general scarcity of animal proteins. During 1939-44, as during 1914-18, fisheries have been substantially replenished, and at the end of the present war well-stocked fishing-grounds will constitute one of the world's few reserves of foods. 53. The work of the Organization in this field would follow the same general pattern as in agriculture, including research, education, advice, and recommendation. It should examine the possibilities for expansion of present fisheries, since in many parts of the world known marine resources could without harm be exploited much more intensively to supply food for human beings, feed for live-stock, and materials for industry. It should encourage systematic exploration for virgin marine resources and evaluate the possibilities for their development. It should encourage the setting-up of additional research laboratories to study biological, economic, and technical problems related to the fishery industry throughout the world. [Art. /.] 54. In their migrations among the waters of the world, fish have no regard for national boundaries. The conservation and wise and equitable use of fishery resources is therefore in many cases peculiarly a matter for international agreements, treaties, and conventions. It would be the duty of the Organization to help to formulate and to propose such international arrangements. It should also perform functions in relation to credit, which will be needed for the development, expansion, and rehabilitation of many fishery enterprises, similar to the fiyictions suggested elsewhere in this report in connection with agriculture. [Art. I, 7F.] 55. As in the case of agriculture, the Organization should take the necessary steps for co-operation with other bodies —in particular, the International Labour Organization, which is concerned with the social conditions of fishermen ; the Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Copenhagen); the North Atlantic Council on Fishery Investigations (Ottawa): and the several bodies administering international fisheries. [Art. XII.] (b) Forestry and Forestry Products 56. Forests occupy approximately 22 per cent, of the land surface of the earth. They play so important a part in the conservation and building-up of soil and water resources that it is impossible to plan conservation measures on any extensive scale without including forest management —and requently afforestation —in the plans. In most countries forestry and farming or grazing constitute possible alternative uses of much of the land, and a significant part of the forest land in many countries s owned or operated by farmers. Indeed, forests are perennial crops, natural or man-made, and their products compete with or supplement other farm, products for certain important uses. Farmers are among the larger users of forest products, especially for fuel, building, and equipment. For these reasons many countries include forestry as a part of agriculture in their governmental organization. 57. World forest supplies have been altered by the war. New supply problems have been created and new uses developed. In some countries progress in improved methods of forest management and utilization is being made at a faster rate than ever before. Thus there are now especially urgent reasons to consider forestry in world terms and to take concerted action to bring about more efficient growing, processing, and distribution of forest products, the balancing of production and distribution with needs on a world scale, and the prevention of disastrous overuse of forest resources in some countries while those of other countries go to waste for lack of effective demand, to the end that the world's forest resources may make their full contribution to the needs and the well-being of the people of every nation. 58. As in the case of food and other agricultural products discussed in this report, these objectives would be accomplished through international co-operation in bringing all branches of science to bear upon the biological, technological, economic, social, and other problems involved in the production, distribution, and use of primary forest products ; in establishing a factual basis upon which nations, individually and in concert, could build policies and programmes ; in helping to work out such programmes ; and in promoting widespread education and public understanding of forestry problems. The Organization's work in forestry would thus closely parallel that in other fields. [Art. I, IV.] 59. The Commission recommends that, in accordance with the situation in each case, the Organization should establish close working relations with any existing international agencies concerned with forestry. [Art. XII, XlV.\ (c) Non-food Agricultural Products 60. A considerable part of the world's agriculture is devoted to the production of commodities other than foods. These products are of special importance because of the contribution they make to the money income of farmers since most of them require processing and are sold as raw materials for cash. Some of them are necessities of life ; others contribute in an important measure to human health, dignity, and well-being. The Organization should accord these products consideration commensurate with their importance to agriculture and to social welfare. 61. Fibres constitute one of the major groups of non-food products. Of these, some, such as cotton, wool, linen, and silk, are consumed mainly in clothing and household goods ; others, such as jute, hemp, abaca, sisal, and henequen, are used in the form of bags, ropes, cords, and nets. Other categories of non-food products include the oils and fats used in paints and soaps ; hides, skins, and furs used in clothing and in industry; beverages and beverage materials ; and tobacco. It is characteristic of most of these products that their markets are international in scope and that consumption increases and decreases with fluctuations in general prosperity. Of many, also, production over the world tends in peacetime to run ahead of effective demand, with a resulting depression of the living standards of producers. At the same time many of these products are especially subject to inter-commodity competition, including the increasing competition of synthetic materials,

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