The Community has supported food strategies since )981, .particularly in Mali, Kenya, Rwanda and Zambia. Food strategies were conceived mainly as a reaction to the deteriorating food security situation in many parts of the world, but especially in Africa. Up to now Food strategies have been largely concerned with the following issues : • farmers production incentives • marketing organization, infrastructure, role of public marketing agencies agricultural support services (research, extension, inputs). An examination of the experience with food strategies must bear in mind the structural nature of food issues and the short time period that has elapsed since the approach was started. Still, experience in the above mentioned countries reveals improvements in several areas, but also some points that so far received insufficient attention <nutrition, vulnerable groups, role of women as food producers, non-cereals crops, livestock, fisheries and data availability and quality). The Communityrs experience in supporting food strategies shows how diverse cooperation instruments have been fruitfully integrated in food strategy exercices. This is particularly important because, with respect to agricultural cooperation, the new Lome convention makes it possible to extend the food strategy approach to other ACP countries that wish so. This provides an opportunity for the Community and its Members States to generalize the experience acquired in the four countries mentioned above in view of better serving the objective of food iecurity in the world. With respect to organization of the paper it is important to mention that the main text refers to specific countries only as illustration and.concentrates on the possibilities to increase the effectiveness of food strategies as well as the possible role of the Community in ~his respect. The annexes summarize achievements at the country level.