KANSAS CITY, MO., – The U.S. Agency for International Development and U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that the 13th annual International Food Aid & Development Conference will be held in Kansas City, Mo., June 27-29, 2011. The theme of this year's conference is “Food Aid: Results that Matter to Hungry People.”

Special guest speakers include Mozambique's Ambassador to the United States Amélia Matos Sumbana; Acting Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Michael Scuse; U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Raj Shah; U.S. Maritime Administrator Orlando Gotay; and the President of Catholic Relief Services Ken Hackett, who will be recognized for his 40-year contribution to alleviating global poverty and hunger.

The International Food Aid & Development Conference provides a forum to discuss policy and operational issues related to food aid and development, as well as ways to improve communication and cooperation, including government, private, voluntary and non-government organizations, and agricultural and transportation industry representatives. The conference also will give conference participants an opportunity to discuss food security, logistics issues, public-private partnerships, commodity cargo handling, value added products, nutrition and supply chain management.

People with disabilities who need accommodations to attend or participate in this conference should contact Lance Simson at 816-823-3202, or by email at Lance.Simson@kcc.usda.gov.

For more information about the conference, including details on registration, visit FSA's website athttp://www.fsa.usda.gov/ifac.

For press inquiries regarding the Administrator's travel, please contact Natasha Jackson, atnjackson@usaid.gov.

For more information about USAID, please visit www.usaid.gov.