Following a scene-setting keynote talk addressing the current global state of agriculture and food supply, the conference is composed of four sessions:

Plant breeding and the maintenance of diversity
Important food crops such as rice and wheat are vulnerable to disease and environmental disasters because we use so few high-yield varieties with little variation between them. How has this come to pass and what are the breeding aims to address these problems, conserve biodiversity and protect the environment?
Breeding and the molecular genetics that support it
How can gene banks and genomics approaches enhance conventional breeding? A range of current projects are aimed at increasing and diversifying hybrid vigour in staple crops to address the problem of low genetic diversity in breeding lines.
Enhancing plants by GM
What are the contributions of genetic modification to food and industrial crops in terms of introducing new resistance traits to pathogens, pests, drought, poor soil and herbicide tolerance, and to increasing nutritional value? Does genetic technology have a role to play in the future of agriculture and feeding the growing global population?
Public perception and risk assessment
The European public is resolutely 'anti-GM'. What factors guide the public perception of plant biotechnology? Is there a difference between the perceived and actual risks of plant biotechnology? How can we reopen a dialogue between scientists and the public?
The tenth anniversary of the Science & Society conferences at the EMBO/EMBL presents an opportunity to look to the future. We invite you to participate in the discussions of these and many more important topics at this multidisciplinary and international conference. More information at http://www.embo.org