The  UK  Department for International Development and the Foresight Government Office forScience have recently launched their  report The Future of Food and Farming  - Challenges and Choices for Global Sustainability. This warns us that world food production has started to level off  rather than  rise to meet increasing food demand.  The Report points  out the dangers of climate change and examines food wastage, food carbon emissions, maintaining bio-diversity, the development of drought and saline-resistant crops, food markets and  protectionalism.This meeting will review the robustness of the Report and will examine how its proposals are to be implemented. Does it meet the needs of the developing world’s small farmers who comprise the majority of food producers? Does it give adequate stress to gender? Is there a proven link between gender equality and increased food production? If so how do we capitalise on this?