The Challenge of Feeding 9 Billion People - Provocative Discussion; Engagement for Tomorrow

The Challenge of Feeding 9 Billion People - Provocative Discussion; Engagement for Tomorrow

April 9, 2012

Provocative Discussion; Engagement for Tomorrow's Agriculture

Demand for agricultural products is expected to double by 2050 as the world's population is expected to reach 9 billion.  Will agricultural production be able to meet demand?  How can Extension work with producers and the ag industry to meet this critical need? How will agriculture as we know it need to change and how can that change be shaped?

Last week a group of national speakers adressed these questions and more during a webinar that's now available on the national eXtension website at learn.extension.org/events/477. Topics and speakers include:

  • Welcome - Looking at the Challenges, Rick Koelsch, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • The Challenge of Feeding 9 Bilion People, John Foley, University of Minnesota
  • The Gap in Food Production and Demand, Keith Fuglie, Chief of the USDA ERS Resource, Environmental, and Science Policy Branch in the Resource and Rural Economics Division
  • USDA Economic Research Service Implications for Consumers, Helen Jensen, Iowa State University
  • Ability of Agriculture to Adapt, Ken Cassman, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and chair of the Independent Science and Partnership Council for for the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
  • Implications for Workforce Development and Focus of Youth Programs, William Nelson, VP Corporate Citizenship and CHS Foundation President, and Cindy Heser, Pioneer Hybrid, Senior Human Resource Manager of Talent
  • Sustainable Agriculture for the 21st Century, Doug Jackson-Smith, Utah State University
  • Balancing Food and Bio-energy, Jeff Steiner, USDA Agriculture Research Service

The website also includes suggested readings on these topics.  Those viewing the presentations submitted questions and carried on a related discussion on Twitter. Search for hastag #feed9b to see more or join the discussion.


 

 

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