The Commissioner’s Speakers Series kicked off Wednesday evening with its first lecture, “Feeding the World in 2020,” moderated by North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler .

The lecture series, facilitated by Troxler , will feature a topic of discussion and a panel of agriculture and agribusiness experts at various schools around North Carolina, including a second lecture at N.C. State April 11.

The first lecture in the series weighed heavily on the world’s food supply and how the rapidly growing world population will be affected if changes aren’t made to agricultural infrastructure.

Throughout the lecture, each of the speakers addressed the increasing challenges of feeding a global population and how varying practices, including the use of biotechnology, can foster agricultural growth and development.

Norris Tolson , president and CEO of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, spoke as a panelist and advocated for the advancement of biotechnology and agricultural research.

In his presentation, Tolson articulated the food shortage problem and said by 2050 food production will need to increase 70 percent to feed the people of the world. He said the agricultural biotechnology business is a purveyor of new technology that uses genetic modification to supply healthy food to communities and populations around the world.

“Human beings have a right to food,” Tolson said. “And that’s a right we should fight for.”

Though the food problem has reached a global scale, Tolson said the solution could be facilitated initially in the United States.

“We have the capability in America, to feed America,” Tolson said.

The United Nations estimated that by 2050 the world population will reach approximately 9.3 billion. Considering what Tolson said-“One-sixth of the world’s population doesn’t get enough food”-a rapid increase in people will present farmers, agriculturists and food suppliers with a great challenge.

Stressing the importance of agricultural research, panelist David Smith, director of the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service, said the primary challenge facing the world is how to feed nine to 10 billion people in the next 30 years.

“We can’t wait 40 years to produce all this food,” Smith said.

According to Smith, the time is now to establish plans, invest in agricultural research, and begin to produce solutions for food shortages and human starvation.

“We have a lot of work to do but we think [agricultural research] is a good investment for taxpayers,” Smith said.

According to Smith, the annual return on such investments in North Carolina is 9.1 percent, putting more money back in the hands of taxpayers.

Additionally, Smith said the limiting factor in agricultural yield is and will continue to be water, thus deepening the need for more research about solutions and alternatives.

Commissioner Troxler said he agreed with Smith about the benefits of expanded agricultural knowledge.

“We have to stay committed to agricultural research,” Troxler said.

The general consensus among the lecture panelists rested on the notion of biotechnological growth and the drive for continued agricultural research. The speakers agreed the expanding population would benefit from proactive solutions to key agricultural problems.

Panelist Reggie Strickland, farmer and head of Strickland Farming, said the majority of agricultural problems stem from infrastructural discrepancies and a lack of agricultural research.

“Research is so important to our future. We need to be on the forefront of new technology to feed the world,” Strickland said.

Because, as Strickland said, “the world demand for food will continue to grow,” it’s imperative for people to make smart choices now.

Troxler concluded the first lecture in the series with a challenge to farmers, scientists, agriculturists, educators and students. He challenged the individuals to consider the realities of food shortage and starvation, and seek to find practical, efficient solutions.

The Commissioner’s Speakers Series will return to the University April 11 for a lecture on how agricultural policy impacts lives and agriculture.