This is really a great and complex discussion topic.
I think that when you talk about the diatribe “food Vs. non-food” uses of crops you have always to think this “MUST”: FIRST FOOD.

But, sometimes there is a simplification tendency when someone says that biofuels starve out the humanity. The total amount of biofuels produced in the world are not able, at this time, to double o triple the cost of the raw material (as corn or wheat), as the market price sometimes shows. Why nobody talk about the effects of the financial speculation, why nobody talk about that really the speculation starve out the humanity?!

About our project, I think that sorghum could be a good opportunity for some Countries, because sorghum is crop that could be use for food and for energy purpose at the same time. for example, the ICRISAT initiative is to develop sorghum varieties that are able to produce seed for food and the rest of the crop (stalks) for energy uses (first and second generation biofuels). besides, sorghum is a energy crop with a low input requirement, low fertilizer use (e.g. nitrogen), low water use, because sorghum is characterized by a great use efficiency of these inputs.

In the next days I hope that we could discuss better on this topic, and I’m waiting for the several and different opinions!

3rd March, 2011
Dear all,
I would like to quote a small article published in Biofuels Digest - Asia Edition. it could be an interesting starting point to increase the discussions in this topic.

Experts find that biofuels did not cause the food crisis – but can they save us from the oil crisis?

Biofuels did not cause the food crisis. That won’t come as a shock to commodities traders, meteorologists, population researchers, agricultural policy analysts and environmentalists who all along have raised warning flags about a global food disaster in the making. No, the enemy is us - humans, and our governments. We didn’t listen, we didn’t learn, and, even worse, we didn’t offer much help as the disaster unfolded right on schedule.

There is certainly a fuel to blame but it isn’t a biofuel. It is petroleum, which still fuels most of the world’s farm machinery and drives food prices ever higher as its own price increases on the global commodities market. That price will soar this year as revolution in the Middle East reduces production. NYMEX crude for April delivery rose as high as $96.08 on Wednesday, the highest for any month since 2008, the year of the last global food crisis. Even the US Navy, which uses a third of the fossil fuels bought each year by the federal government, expects to pay $131 per barrel in 2012. At $131 per barrel we don’t have a food crisis, we have a global famine.

To reduce that threat we need to do as the Navy is doing – get off petroleum as fast as we can. The world’s armed forces are all clear on that point and are stockpiling biofuels to ensure their combat readiness regardless of world petroleum shortages and price increases. The good news is that this could not be a better time for investment in new generation biofuels from zero or low- impact feedstocks such as marine algae, microcrops, and recycled wastes like municipal garbage and sewage, forest and agricultural waste.
Right now there are low-tech solutions that pay immediate dividends. The US Navy is fueling some of its surface ships with recycled galley waste voluntarily collected and processed by crewmembers. Contrary to some expectations, the waste-to-fuel project has proved a great success, boosting pride, self-reliance and crew morale, as well as technology development for the next step - sustainable submarines. The biggest benefit? Crewmembers agree it’s the knowledge that they can protect their families back home from high gas and heating oil prices.