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Bioeconomy is the production, utilization, conservation, and regeneration of biological resources, including related knowledge, science, technology, and innovation, to provide sustainable solutions (information, products, processes and services) within and across all economic sectors and enable a transformation to a sustainable economy. The promotion of a bioeconomy has been placed on the political agenda of more than fifty countries. Its cross-cutting nature offers a unique opportunity to comprehensively address interconnected societal challenges such as food and nutrition security, fossil-resource dependence, natural resource scarcity and climate change, while achieving sustainable economic development.

However, bioeconomy activities are not necessarily sustainable, as the development of an economy that is based on biological resources faces several trade-offs. It is crucial that bioeconomy development contributes to sustainability and helps to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Considering this, in January 2015, on the occasion of the Global forum for food and agriculture in Berlin, 62 Ministers of Agriculture recommended that FAO coordinates the international work on sustainable bioeconomy. To that end, the German Ministry for Food and Agriculture has provided support to FAO to guide countries in the development of sustainable bioeconomy strategies and programmes.