Agriculture mainly food crops, is expected to feed an increasing human population, forecast to reach 7500 million by 2020, of whom 6300 million will be in developing countries.  Although the rate of population growth is steadily decreasing, the increase in absolute numbers of people to be fed may be such that the carrying capacity of agricultural lands could soon be reached given current technology.  New technologies, such as DNA recombinant biotechnologies, if properly focused, offer a responsible way to enhance agricultural productivity for now and the future.  Sustainable food production is uncertain in many developing areas of the world because of their particular climatic, land and water limitations; thus developing low-cost applications will be an important complementary element in increasing food production and stability for the rural poor.  Biotechnology not alone but, coupled with other technologies such as plant breeding and crop physiology, is a powerful tool in agricultural development with great potential - both positive and negative- and offers a potential solution for many problems affecting crops and livestock production in developing countries.  National programmes should ensure that biotechnology benefits all sectors, including resource-poor rural populations, particularly in marginal areas where productivity increases would be more difficult to achieve.  Biotechnology-derived solutions for low productivity and biotic and abiotic stresses as well as improved nutritional or medicinal content built into the genotype of plants could reduce the use of agrochemicals and water, thus promoting sustainable yields, food security and added value integration.  Biotechnology also offers unique opportunities to solve environmental problems, some of which derive from unsustainable agricultural and industrial practices.  FAO recognizes the need to take a balanced and comprehensive approach to biotechnological development by considering its integration into various areas of the Organization's work programme.  Since the scope for potential action is huge, while FAO resources are limited, it is important that close partnerships with other bodies be forged, including the CGIAR.  Networking operation, as in the case of the Technical Cooperation Network on Plan Biotechnology for Latin America and the Caribbean (REDBIO/FAO), has to be reinforced through new institutional capacity on information, communication and training.  A number of issues are of special concern to countries aiming at increasing their involvement in biotechnology and thus developing their agricultural sector, which is an integral element of rural development and overall national food security.  This paper focuses on a perspective from FAO and REDBIO on specific issues  and concerns of biotechnology application.  Tactics are discussed for priority setting and applying the technologies in support of sustainable agricultural production and food security, with an underlying emphasis on safety in use of biotechnology and its products.