Food Security and Sustainability The United States requires an agriculture system that meets its population’s needs for a safe and secure food supply and fosters a culture of innovation and excellence that addresses global challenges for a secure food supply as the human population approaches 9 billion by 2050. The absence of a global solution to food security threatens the long-term prosperity and international security of the U.S. Funding for food and agriculture research over the past 30 years has remained flat while Research and Development (R&D) in all other areas of federally funded research has increased substantially. Given the global challenges in food security, this level of investment endangers the economic vitality of all nations, including the U.S.. This symposium presents a broad array of examples of what R&D can produce, and a perspective on how future challenges developing productive, environmentally sound, and sustainable food and agriculture production systems can be met only with a substantial increase in agricultural R&D.