Social sustainability is not a result of the cropping system but in the way that the crop is grown by whom and where. Any biomass, including switchgrass, miscanthus, wheat straw and corn stover, can be grown in ways that contribute to the social sustainability of the producers, workers and local community, or in ways that limit the access of those stake­holders to natural, cultural, human, social, political, financial and built capital. When social sustainability is ignored, and fuels from biomass are viewed as simply a technical problem, it is likely that social inequality and social displacement will occur with serious societal repercussions. Managing investments may be more important for social sustainability than managing cropping systems. Since production of biofuels from biomass requires vertically integrated value chains, attention to land grabs and speculation by those at the end of the value chain to control the feedstock supply can have serious social consequences that impact not only social sustainability but ultimately environmental sustainability as well.