Video: Young scientists on the future of food

Meeting the demand for food, energy and water as world population increases is a complex challenge. With an expected population of around 9.3 billion in 2050, innovative thinking is required to ensure food security in the face of global environmental change, changes in water availability and competition between different land uses.

From April 14-19, 2013, young scientists gathered at the invitation of ICSU, ISSC and the DFG at Villa Vigoni, Italy, to discuss the future of food. A major goal of the event was to bring young scientists from across disciplines and from all regions to identify key research questions on food systems of the future. These questions will feed into the Future Earth research agenda on food.

Two groups of participants have since published papers based on the outcomes of the conference. "A vision in transdisciplinarity in Future Earth: Perspectives from young researchers" was published in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. "Meeting the growing demand for food and bioenergy in the 21st century: synergies through efficient waste management" was published in the journal Biofuels.

This was the first conference of a series, the next one will be held in May 2014. Follow @FutureEarth on Twitter to be the first to know when we publish the call for applications.