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Throughout history, agriculture and natural resources have been used for the production of food, feed, fibre, fuel, and environmental goods. Recent developments in demand both in terms of quantity and quality, technology, and traditional energy and chemistry markets have reinforced the demand for nonfood applications. These developments, in combination with increased consumer demands for various food characteristics, have led to a rapidly growing and globally integrated "bio-economy." This article introduces and summarizes the plenary papers on the opportunities and challenges for the bio-economy that were presented at the 28th triennial conference of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE) in Brazil. The following aspects of the bio-economy are covered:

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This paper reviews the situation in the agricultural sector and food security in Cuba and in particular the transformations that have (not) taken place since 1990. We compare the Cuban transition with transitions in other "transition countries" and show that Cuba does not fit easily in one of the transition patterns, and, in a way, has characteristics of "a bit of everything". To conclude, we discuss the (potential) effects of the recent policy changes.