The population of the world is expected to grow by a third to nine billion by 2050. In order to feed this growing population, global food production will have to increase significantly.The September 2012 IAEA Bulletin edition has been produced on the occasion of the 2012 IAEA Scientific Forum, which brings together experts and policy-makers from all over the world to consider how best to use nuclear techniques to increase food production, to control animal and plant diseases that threaten food supplies and to guard against food contamination. It reports on the IAEA using nuclear technology for food management across the globe, improving crops in Peru, helping Member States diagnose and control pests and supporting them to build capacity in the field. Nuclear science is applied in a variety of ways to improve food production: radiation-induced mutation breeding, carbon tracing to improve soil fertility, and other techniques aimed at adapting food production to climate change.