Tackling rural poverty, together

Scope of the conference

There is growing concern that Global Environmental Change (GEC) will further complicate achieving food security, particularly for more vulnerable sections of society. There is also concern that meeting society's rising demand for food will further degrade the environment which may, in turn, further undermine the food systems on which food security is based.

These issues are the focus of the international, interdisciplinary research project "Global Environmental Change and Food Systems (GECAFS)" which is aimed at determining strategies to cope with the impacts of GEC on food systems and assessing the environmental and socioeconomic consequences of adaptive responses aimed at improving food security.

This conference will bring together the research and policy communities addressing food security, environmental change and food policy to promote wider international discussion on these issues and to progress the joint development of adaptation options by:

• Presenting and discussing research on GEC, food security and food systems, and decision support dialogues from the broad international community.
• Presenting and discussing findings from conceptual and regional research supported by the GECAFS project.
• Bringing together scientists and policy makers from diverse backgrounds to forge new partnerships.

The Food Security and Environmental Change Conference is organised by GECAFS.