When it comes to sustainably feeding the estimated 9 billion people expected to be living on the planet by 2050, there are no simple answers. The major challenges to such a prospect are well documented: keeping pace with fast changing demand patterns from a larger and more wealthy population; producing more food on less land area in light of declining soil quality and other environmental concerns; and providing healthy, affordable food for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable social groups while protecting small farmer incomes in an increasingly competitive global market.

The Danish Academy of Technical Sciences (ATV) and the international Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS) are hosting an international conference for June 29, 2010 in Copenhagen in order to address these challenges and discuss possible solutions.

According to the conference website, “ATV wishes to facilitate an open debate, a free exchange of ideas and discussion of new future-oriented solutions. ATV aims to bring universities, industry, agriculture, NGOs and GOs together. Our joint challenge is to identify the real problems and the effective answers – which at the same time – will increase food production, reduce poverty and hunger and reduce over-exploitation of natural resources.”

For more information about the conference and registration information, visit http://bit.ly/d2ft9a.