Global demand for food will increase with competition for land, water, and energy. The management of food supply chains has a critical role to play in adoption of sustainable intensification methodologies required to feed 9-12 billion people in 2050.

How supply chains will sustainably intensify to meet demand has yet to be determined. The assessment of food and beverage product impacts from farm to kitchen must be determined for the development of policy options and the methodologies to be utilised will be discussed at this conference.

It is also clear the political and policy arenas require definitions and direction to sustainably intensify the food system for increasing populations and increasing consumerism. This conference will identify possible routes to delivering food for 9-12 billion consumers.

Recently, the UK Parliament has published responses to a large-scale review of UK food security to 2050 and at a pan-European level there is a focus increasing food production while decreasing environmental impact of the food system. The USA has significantly increased investment in agri-food research and Australia faces critical food production issues packaged by the threat of acute climate change. It is clear new insights and new models for food supply are required but how food security for the consumers is achieved while balancing impact is as yet untested and undetermined. This conference will aim to develop scenarios and routes to the demands of 2050

It is clear that, the agricultural intensification process must be balanced with market trends, product development and due attention to the external costs associated with environmental and health impacts. This balance will not be achieved without a consideration of whole supply chain approaches that are the focus of the three days with speakers from across the food system.

Papers and posters from the conference will be reproduced in our conference series, Aspects of Applied Biology, which will be available to delegates at the conference. Reviews, based on different sessions at the conference, will be submitted to Annals of Applied Biology after the conference.

The conference will be facilitated by

Professor Maurice Moloney (Director, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK)

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