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

Abstract

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  More>>
Publication Date:
Jun 15, 2013
Product Type:
Miscellaneous
Subject:
09 BIOMASS FUELS; BIOFUELS; PRODUCTION; AGRICULTURE; ENERGY POLICY; SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS; SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT; MARKET
OSTI ID:
22110315
Research Organizations:
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome (Italy). Committee on World Food Security
Country of Origin:
United States
Language:
English
Other Identifying Numbers:
TRN: US13OA543
Availability:
Commercial reproduction prohibited. Available from ETDE as OSTI ID: 22110315; See the FAO CFS HLPE site for other publications of possible interest at http://www.fao.org/cfs/cfs-hlpe/
Submitting Site:
ETDE
Size:
132 page(s)
Announcement Date:
Jul 08, 2013

Citation Formats

None. Biofuels and Food Security. A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition. United States: N. p., 2013. Web.
None. Biofuels and Food Security. A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition. United States.
None. 2013. "Biofuels and Food Security. A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition." United States.
@misc{etde_22110315,
title = {Biofuels and Food Security. A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition}
author = {None}
abstractNote = {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.}
place = {United States}
year = {2013}
month = {Jun}
}