ABSTRACT
The world faces an uncertain future with a predicted dramatic increase in demand for renewable resources, otherwise known as bioresources, such as food crops, livestock and biofuels. One of this century’s biggest challenges is therefore likely to be how we meet this demand in a way that does not jeopardize current and future generations’ quality of life. This is what we mean by sustainable development, defined as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (World Commission on Economic Development, 1987). There have been many elaborations on this basic concept (Kates et al., 2005), but the quest for methods to meet the increasing demand for bioresources in a resource-effective, climate-smart and sustainable manner remains consistently at the top of the agenda for policymakers all around the world.
