If farmers can be induced to produce non-food crops
on their land, this will help reduce overproduction of
agricultural products, reduce non-profitable exports and
at the same time give income and employment to the
farmers. This is the idea behind the set-aside program of
the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European
Union (EU). Farmers have to set a certain percentage of
their land aside, the set-aside land can be used for forestry,
hunting and recreation or for production of non-food
crops like dedicated energy crops. There has been a rapid
increase in energy crops grown on set-aside land in France
since 1993, especially rapeseed production for energy 4 (see
Vollebergh, 1997 this volume).