Working together for a new era of agriculture.

• Position: Non-food crops

What are "non-food crops"? They are an alternative to traditional food production, grown for use in industry, chemicals (plastic, paint), industrial fibres (paper and textile), pharmaceuticals, personal-care products and biofuels. Non-food crops are a cross-cutting dimension of development, with direct and indirect significant impacts on the economy, society and the environment. Thanks to their potential to lead to economic development, social empowerment and sustainability, they have been characterized as a win-win solution.

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One only has to look at the recent surge in oil prices to see the extent to which the world has become dangerously dependent upon this particular non-renewable resource. We rely upon it not just as a source of energy but also for a plethora of man-made materials, ranging from plastics to clothing fabrics that come out of the petrochemical industry. Yet, supplies are running out fast. The heavy cost of oil, in every sense, provides a pressing imperative to explore the enormous potential for plants to provide alternatives for many of our needs.

At a time when farming in many parts of the world is struggling or in crisis, new non-food uses for crops offer an exciting opportunity for farmers; this is especially the case in the developing world, where there is the chance to develop new export and industry alongside more diversified horticulture. Meanwhile, the world's ecosystem gains from a rich source of materials that is renewable and does not further deplete the Earth's precious natural resources. Non-food crops are poised to provide in the decade ahead the next great advance in agriculture.

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Already, there are countless instances of the natural properties of plants being harnessed to develop new products that benefit society and the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals, particularly those relating to health and ensuring environmental sustainability. The biennial flower Lunaria, or honesty, is just one example of plants that show promising potential for drug development, and Echium, a type of borage, is being tapped as a source of Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils commonly found in fish, which protect against heart disease. In the energy field, miscanthus grass and short-rotation coppiced willow are just two of the crops harvested to provide biomass fuel that can be burnt instead of fossil fuels in power stations; bio-diesel using vegetable oils and bio-ethanol made from...