For the past decade, demographers have predicted that the world would have to double its food supply by 2050 to feed the growing population.

Progress is being made toward that goal, but scientists, farmers and policymakers still have a lot work to do to meet the goal of ensuring food security for the projected global population of 9 billion people.

“Perhaps the single greatest challenge that our students will face is feeding a global population that is expected to exceed 9 billion people in a relatively short period of time,” said Sam Pardue, dean and director of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). “It’s a goal that drives everything we do at CAES — from the plant breeders looking for more productive varieties to entomologists working on sustainable ways to protect crops — because it’s a goal we have to meet.

CAES is convening leaders from academia, agriculture, global development nonprofits and government to discuss the roles that UGA and the state of Georgia will play in meeting this goal. The college’s inaugural Global Food Security Summit will be held on Nov. 8 from 9 a.m. until noon at the Georgia Museum of Art on the UGA campus.

Rep. Sanford Bishop; Rep. Austin Scott; Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation; Scott Angle, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture; CAES-based U.S. Agency for International Development Feed the Future researchers Soraya Leal-Bertioli and Dave Hoisington, and many others, will discuss the importance of U.S. leadership in the fight against global hunger, highlighting advances in nutrition and agriculture made possible by UGA researchers.

Students, faculty and community members who are interested in the future of food security should plan to attend. More information can be found at caes.uga.edu.