Biofuels, Bioenergy and Food Security

Biofuels, Bioenergy and Food Security
Author: Deepayan Debnath
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2019-06-15
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0128039817

Biofuels, Bioenergy and Food Security: Technology, Institutions and Policies explores the popular ‘Food versus Fuel’ debates, discussing the complex relationship between the biofuel and agricultural markets. From the importance of bioenergy in the context of climate change, to the potentially positive environmental consequences of growing second generation biofuels crops, this book provides important insights into the impact of policy, the technical implementation and the resulting impact of biofuels. The discussion of existing issues hindering the growth of the cellulosic biofuel industry and their remedies are particularly relevant for policy makers and others associated with the biofuel industry. Transferring information on bioenergy economy through the discussion of the current and emerging biofuel market, country specific case studies explain the existing biofuel policy and its consequences to both the energy and agricultural markets. Economic simulation models explain the future of the bioenergy markets. Biofuels, Bioenergy and Food Security: Technology, Institutions and Policies is an invaluable resource to the students, scientific community, policy makers, and investors in the bioenergy industry. Students will benefit from a variety of perspectives on major societal questions in context of the interaction between food security and bioenergy. Its review of existing literature on the biofuel marker, investment opportunities, and energy independence provides a broad overview to allow informed decision making regarding the industry. Provides an integrated overview of the world biofuel market by country, including a summary of the existing biofuel policies, role of investment opportunities, and rural development potential Discusses the impact of biofuels on efforts by developing countries to become more energy self-sufficient Examines the environmental consequences of biomass-based biofuel use.

Biofuels, Food Security, and Developing Economies

Biofuels, Food Security, and Developing Economies
Author: Nazia Mintz-Habib
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 255
Release: 2016-01-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317914112

The last decade has witnessed major crises in both food and energy security across the world. One response to the challenges of climate change and energy supply has been the development of crops to be used for biofuels. But, as this book shows, this can divert agricultural land from food production to energy crops, thus affecting food security, particularly in less developed countries. The author analyses the extent to which biofuels feedstocks fit within the national food security strategy, agro-export orientation, and rural development plans and policies of developing economies. Two case studies, from Tanzania in East Africa and Borneo in Malaysia, are considered in detail, using the non-edible crop of jatropha as an example of how compromises can be reached to balance food and energy goals as well as export markets. The author develops a novel integrated approach, the Institutional Feasibility Study, as the basis of her analysis. She addresses key issues such as: how do global initiatives for green growth, energy security and sustainable development incorporate biofuels industry development? Does global biofuels trade present meaningful foreign and local investment opportunities for developing countries? To what extent does biofuels feedstock production help with poverty reduction and agricultural sector modernization? What role do the EU and the US commitments to biofuels blending targets play in the rapid industry development in developing countries? How does the biofuels industry fit within existing formal and informal institutional frameworks? Who are the winners and losers in the biofuels global value chain?

Bioenergy and Food Security

Bioenergy and Food Security
Author:
Publisher: Fao
Total Pages: 108
Release: 2010
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

"A potent argument for bioenergy development lies in the ability of the sector to unlock agricultural potential by bringing in much needed investments to raise agricultural productivity to spur food security and poverty reduction. This document presents the BEFS Analytical Framework (AF) developed to test this argument. Agriculture lies at the heart of the BEFS AF and allows governments to consider viable pro-poor strategies for bioenergy development. The set of tools within the BEFS AF offers an integrated approach to decision-making that combines the technical viability with the country's prevailing social and economic development objectives. This document explains the rationale and structure of the BEFS AF, provides a general overview of the tools and their application, and illustrates how the analytical information generated assists policy makers in making informed decisions concerning the many varied consequences of bioenergy developments on food security, poverty reduction and agriculture development and economic growth."--Provided by publisher.

Biofuels and Food Security

Biofuels and Food Security
Author: Tatsuji Koizumi
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 128
Release: 2014-05-03
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 331905645X

Examining the relationship between biofuels and food security, this book presents an economic analysis of the competition between biofuels and food. It covers the historical and current situation of biofuels and food security in Brazil, China, Japan, USA, EU, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and other countries. Furthermore it demonstrates that not only feedstock of agricultural product-based biofuels, but also cellulose-based biofuels can compete with food-related demand and agricultural resources. The issue of whether this competition is good or bad for food security is explored, and this topic is examined at global, national, sub-national and household levels. In order to deal with energy security, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to strengthen agricultural/rural development, biofuel production and utilization is increasing all over the world. One of the most crucial problems is the competition for resources between biofuel and food. This biofuel and food security discussion is expected to continue into the future, and this book proposes the action that is needed to deal with this issue on various levels. Biofuel and Food Security provides a valuable resource to undergraduates and researchers of economics, agricultural economics and renewable science, and also policy makers involved in government or international organizations. It will additionally be of interest to those employed in renewable energy and agriculture in an industrial capacity.

Food versus Fuel

Food versus Fuel
Author: Frank Rosillo-Calle
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2013-04-04
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1780320248

Food versus Fuel presents a high-level introduction to the science and economics behind a well-worn debate, that will debunk myths and provide quality facts and figures for academics and practitioners in development studies, environment studies, and agricultural studies. Compiled by an internationally renowned scientist and authority, and to include perspectives from 'pro' and 'anti' biofuels experts and activists, from the North and South, the aim of this book is to bring a balanced approach to the current debate on the major issues affecting the development of biofuels in a concise and clear manner in order to provide an informed, nuanced but accessible introduction, grounded in science and economics rather than conjecture and controversy.

Biofuels and Food Security. A Report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition

Biofuels and Food Security. A Report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2013
Genre:
ISBN:

In October 2011, the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS) recommended a ''review of biofuels policies -- where applicable and if necessary -- according to balanced science-based assessments of the opportunities and challenges that they may represent for food security so that biofuels can be produced where it is socially, economically and environmentally feasible to do so''. In line with this, the CFS requested the HLPE (High Level Panel of Experts) to ''conduct a science-based comparative literature analysis taking into consideration the work produced by the FAO and Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) of the positive and negative effects of biofuels on food security''. Recommendations from the report include the following. Food security policies and biofuel policies cannot be separated because they mutually interact. Food security and the right to food should be priority concerns in the design of any biofuel policy. Governments should adopt the principle: biofuels shall not compromise food security and therefore should be managed so that food access or the resources necessary for the production of food, principally land, biodiversity, water and labour are not put at risk. The CFS should undertake action to ensure that this principle is operable in the very varied contexts in which all countries find themselves. Given the trend to the emergence of a global biofuels market, and a context moving from policy-driven to market-driven biofuels, there is an urgent need for close and pro-active coordination of food security, biofuel/bioenergy policies and energy policies, at national and international levels, as well as rapid response mechanisms in case of crisis. There is also an urgent need to create an enabling, responsible climate for food and non-food investments compatible with food security. The HLPE recommends that governments adopt a coordinated food security and energy security strategy, which would require articulation around the following five axes/dimensions: Adapt to the change to global, market-driven dynamics; Address the land, water and resource implications of biofuel policies; Foster the transition from biofuels to comprehensive food-energy policies; Promote research and development; and, Develop methods and guidelines for coordinated food, Biofuels, and bio-energy policies at national and international levels.

The Politics of Biofuels, Land and Agrarian Change

The Politics of Biofuels, Land and Agrarian Change
Author: Saturnino M. Borras
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2011
Genre: Agricultural ecology
ISBN: 9780415613200

This book addresses key questions on biofuels, land and agrarian change within agrarian political economy, political sociology and political ecology. It was published as a special issue of the Journal of Peasant Studies.

The State of Food and Agriculture 2008

The State of Food and Agriculture 2008
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 144
Release: 2008
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9789251059807

The State of Food and Agriculture 2008 explores the implications of the rapid recent growth in production of biofuels based on agricultural commodities -- Back cover.

Biofuels and Sustainability

Biofuels and Sustainability
Author: Kazuhiko Takeuchi
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 261
Release: 2018-07-13
Genre: Science
ISBN: 4431548955

This open access book presents a comprehensive analysis of biofuel use strategies from an interdisciplinary perspective using sustainability science. This interdisciplinary perspective (social science-natural science) means that the strategies and policy options proposed will have significant impacts on the economy and society alike. Biofuels are expected to contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, revitalizing economies in agricultural communities and alleviating poverty. However, despite these anticipated benefits, international organizations such as the FAO, OECD and UN have published reports expressing concerns that biofuel promotion may lead to deforestation, water pollution and water shortages. The impacts of biofuel use are extensive, cross-sectoral and complex, and as such, comprehensive analyses are required in order to assess the extent to which biofuels can contribute to sustainable societies. Applying interdisciplinary sustainability science concepts and methodologies, the book helps to enhance the establishment of a sustainable society as well as the development of appropriate responses to a global need for urgent action on current issues related to biofuels.

Biofuels, Bioenergy and Food Security

Biofuels, Bioenergy and Food Security
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2019-11
Genre:
ISBN: 9781642242485

In recent years, energy security concerns and growing commitment to address climate change has sparked off significant interest and debate on biomass for energy, particularly liquid biofuels. The debate on biofuels has been particularly controversial because it has largely been driven by politics, ethical/moral considerations, and vested interests rather than by science. This book presents state of the art information on the complexities in assessing sustainability as related to energy and food security interactions among food security, biofuels, and resource management. In first chapter, we draw the key linkages between future biofuels growth on agricultural commodity prices, and highlight some of the key uncertainties over OECD fuel and energy policies, and their implications for global agricultural markets and the world food situation. The chapter shows some of the implications that biofuels expansion has on crop area expansion in regions where environmental concerns exist over land use change and the possible impacts on the environment. A key objective of second chapter is to provide an assessment of previous work on "food versus fuel," a candent topic, which is shaping the future of biomass for energy, to provide an analysis of the current and future situation, and to contribute to possible alternatives to minimize or avoid future conflict. This chapter focuses on food prices, land competition, GHG, energy balance, and energy subsidies and concerns with the rapid expansion of bioenergy for electricity and heat, climatic changes, the role of agriculture as a key factor.Among the world's continents, Africa has the highest incidence of food insecurity and poverty and the highest rates of population growth. Yet Africa also has the most arable land, the lowest crop yields, and by far the most plentiful land resources relative to energy demand. It is thus of interest to examine the potential of expanded modern bioenergy production in Africa. In last chapter of this monograph, we consider bioenergy as an enabler for development, and provide an overview of modern bioenergy technologies with a comment on application in African context.