With billions more people to feed, world food production will have to rise by nearly 50 % in the next 20 years. The farming sector will also be faced with diminishing land and water resources and the impact of climate change.

Agriculture ministers from OECD and other major economies will meet to discuss these challenges from 25-26 February 2010 at the OECD Conference Centre, 2 rue Andr Pascal, 75016 Paris. Other participants will include Angel Gurra, Secretary-General of the OECD; Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation; and Hafez Ghanem, Assistant Director-General of UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

A press conference will be held at 3.30 p.m. on Friday 26 February at OECD headquarters. It will be presented by Angel Gurra, and the co-chairs of the meeting; Nikolaus Berlakovich, Austria's Agriculture Minister, and David Carter, Agriculture Minister of New Zealand.