The University of California, through its Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR), hosted a wide-ranging, provocative discussion on April 9 about how to sustainably feed 8 billion people by 2025.

Several themes emerged from the UC Global Food Systems Forum: Take a bottom-up approach. Focus on solutions. Pursue low-hanging fruit. Decrease food waste. Be practical. Be innovative. Involve education. But opinions differed on how to balance small- and large-scale farming, the role of genetically modified organisms, and what should be the most important area of focus.

More than 475 people attended the food forum in Ontario, Calif., which also reached a worldwide virtual audience. A live webcast received 1,500 unique viewers from 34 countries, while a steady stream of tweets at #Food2025 made the conversation a trending topic on Twitter. With more than 1 billion people going hungry every day and 1 billion people overweight, the conversation was timely.

“We must act now to improve the food and nutrition supply of people in poor countries and communities throughout the world,” said keynote speaker Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and president of the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice.

The daylong forum, part of ANR’s statewide conference, addressed the challenges faced by food producers, suppliers and consumers in a world of growing population, strains on natural systems, climate change, shifting geopolitics and other converging forces. The event convened some of the world’s leading experts — farmers, researchers, policymakers, economists, environmentalists and others — with the New Yorker’s Michael Specter (pictured above) moderating a global panel and author and journalist Mark Arax moderating a California panel. The speakers offered thoughtful insights and solutions.

“This is fundamental to our mission as a land-grant university,” said UC ANR Vice President Barbara Allen-Diaz. “Our goal is to take these brilliant ideas and turn them into brilliant plans of action.”

The Global Food Systems Forum webcast can be viewed at: http://food2025.ucanr.edu/webcast. The event also will air later on UCTV. For more information, visit http://food2025.ucanr.edu.

For more:

>> See Health/ANR Communications Coordinator Alec Rosenberg’s full story

>> More coverage: California farmers face global pressures

>> Video: UC Cooperative Extension turns 100

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