Can the World Feed 9 Billion People in 20 Years?

How can we feed the estimated 9 billion people who will be living on Earth within the next 20 years?

That's a question that researchers around the globe are attempting to answer as Earth's population continues to grow. It is also the theme of an event called Plant Science Night, happening at Tucson's Ventana Vista Elementary School on Friday, October 5th, 2012, between 5 and 8 p.m.

The annual event is the brainchild of Rod Wing, an professor in the University of Arizona's School of Plant Sciences and the [Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology], who also serves as the director of the Arizona Genomics Institute.

Now funded in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation, Plant Science Night brings together current plant researchers and schoolchildren (and their parents) to share hands-on activities that are designed to stimulate curiosity and encourage deeper thought about plants.