New strategies for the development and promotion of NFC in Europe

In the Panacea project the current status and potential role of Non-Food Crops (NFC) in the rural renaissance has beeninvestigated. The needs and interests of farmers to produce NFC have therefore to match the demandof bio-based industries. NFCs are used to produce a wide range of bio-products and bioenergy. In spite of considerable investment in R&D and the increasing need of bio-based industries for supply of feedstock, NFCs are not widespread in EU agriculture. In this report the Strenghts, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats(SWOT)of near-to-practice NFC and their application in bio-based products and bioenergy are establishedin order to make strategic planning possible and acquire incorporation of NFCs in the European agriculture. An analysis was made of sustainable cropping strategies and production, processing and supply chain organization, as well as the regulatory framework and the marketdemands. The result is a portfolio of opportunities, terms and conditions for the cultivation of near-to-practice NFC and an analysis of their potential role in the renaissance of rural areas. Also, the critical success factors for the crops have been defined in the context of bio-based supply chains. The selected,crop, product and market combinations were based upon the outcomes of otherwork packagesand deliverables in the PANACEA project