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Bioenergy and Food Security

Patricia Osseweijer, Helen Watson, Francis Johnson

Bioenergy and Food Security Working Group• *Patricia Osseweijer, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands

• *Helen Watson, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

• Francis X. Johnson; Stockholm Environment Institute, Sweden

• Mateus Batistella, Embrapa, Campinas/SP, Brazil

• Luis A.B. Cortez, University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Brazil

• Lee R. Lynd; Dartmouth College, USA

• Stephen R. Kaffka, University of California, Davis, USA

• Stephen Long; University of Illinois, USA

• Hans van Meijl; Wageningen Univesity, LEI, Netherlands

• Andre M. Nassar; Agroicone, Sao Paulo/SP; Brazil

• Jeremy Woods, Imperial College London, U.K.

*Corresponding Authors

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• There is enough land available for substantial production of

bioenergy and food for a growing world population,

expansion will be predominantly in Sub Saharan Africa and

Latin America

• There is no inherent causal relation between bioenergy

production and food insecurity

• Bioenergy can improve food production systems and rural

economic development

• Bioenergy can stimulate investments in agricultural

production in poor areas and provide a dynamic switch

system to produce energy or food whenever necessary

• It is our ethical duty to develop and evaluate practices of combined bioenergy and food production in poor areas

Biomass

type/source

Woody

biomass

Herbaceous

biomass

Biomass from

fruits or seeds

Others

(including

mixtures)

Dedicated

Feedstocks

or extraction

Extraction from

native forests,

Forest plantations

Cereals (e.g.

maize, wheat)

Energy grasses

(e.g. sugarcane,

miscanthus)

Oilseed crops

(e.g. jatropha,

sunflower)

Oil fruits (e.g. oil

palm)

(mixed biomass

sources can be

used for some

applications)

Residues

(Direct)

Logging by-

products

Thinning by-

products

Straw, Bagasse,

husks

shells and husks,

fruit bunches

Animal dung,

Landscape

management by-

products

Residues

(Indirect)

Sawmill wastes,

Black liquor (from

pulp/paper

production)

Fibre crop

processing

wastes,

Recycled fibre

products

Food processing

by-products

Waste oils

Bio-sludge,

Slaughterhouse

by-products,

Municipal solid

waste (MSW)

Different types and sources of biomass used for energy(yellow = potential competition with food)

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• 1,4 Bha of suitable land available for sustainable rain-fed agriculture (presently not used)

• 130-219 Mha needed for population increases • Plus ~ 600 Mha degraded land - biomass opportunities

• Specific bioenergy crops are capable of substantially - increasing organic matter, & nitrogen content of soils, & - decreasing salt, & heavy metal content of soils

improve soil quality & productivity for food crops

• Bioenergy crops as barriers to reduce food loss from animals, & soil erosion by wind & water

Share of Traditional Biomass in Residential Consumption

Source: IEA, World Energy Outlook

2.5 billion people depend on traditional biomass for cooking

The majority of the available land is in areas where technology can improve sustainable practices

Intensity of agricultural cultivation remains low in Latin

America and Africa: would like to use land resources more

productively for food, feed, fuel, fibre, bio-chemicals

And where intensity is presently low…

Biomass & Poverty Belt

RED ARROW = biomass/bioenergy flow

BLUE ARROW = technology and investment flow

Potential geo-economic context for bioenergy, agriculture, development:

flow of bioenergy commodities, technology transfer, investment

And avoid…

Food security is access to

sufficient food by all people, at all

times – in terms of quality,

quantity, and diversity – for an

active and healthy life without risk

of loss of such access

After Seregeldin Former President Worlbank), 2003

Food Security

• Not Just production, also access

• Not Just output, also process

• Not Just technology, also policy

• Not Just global, also national

• Not Just national, also household

• Not Just rural, also urban

• Not Just amount, also content

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Causal relations?

Food prices linked fossil, fertiliser & civil conflicts

Source: Hsiang et al., Nature 2011

Bioenergy and Food Security: Could modern bioenergy be part of the solution to food security and poverty alleviation?

Poverty

*Rural unemployment

*Lack of marketable skills

*Low currency value

*Degraded land

*Poorly developed Agricultural infrastructure(Physical, market, knowhow)

*Local productionundermined by foreignsubsidies

*High food prices

Factors Contributing to Food Insecurity*

Food Security Impact of Bioenergy ProductionNon-food Crops

Food crops Cropland Non-cropland

Source - adapted by Lee Lynd from: Thurow, R, Kilman, S., 2009.

=positive synergy =conflict =indeterminate=some caution

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Back in 2003 Ismail Seregeldin (former President Worldbank)

introduced the challenges of the world

• Food• Agriculture• Health• Industry & Environment

In situation of Growing north south divide & rising inequities

The solution:Knowledge & educationBiotechnologyNew partnerships

As Much As 30% of Food

Produced in Developing

Countries Does Not Reach

Consumers

Obesity in the US and the UK(% of total population)

• 1991 22%

• 2002 30%

• 2025 42%

Source: The Economist, The world in 2002, p.51

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Social challenges of today

• One out of two children live in poverty

• 75% of poor people live in rural areas

Focus should be on eradication of poverty

This requires science, technology, investment and equal distribution

• Bioenergy can stimulate rural development

• Provide employment, energy security and social development

…needs rethinking of scales and governance…

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Inaction is not an option…

• Going on as we do will

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Increase population

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Increase waste

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Loss of biodiversity

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Nature desasters

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Increase the divideIncrease the divide

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Inaction is not an option…

• Going on as we do will

• Deteriorate our environment• Increase north-south divide• Increase natural disasters• Increase Food insecurity

The precautionary principle is not a valid nor an ethical choice

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Time for a different approach

There will be no sustainable world

without social development

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Back in 2003 Ismail Seregeldin (former President Worldbank)

introduced the challenges of the world

• Food• Agriculture• Health• Industry & Environment

Growing north south divide rising inequities

The solution:Knowledge & educationBiotechnologyNew partnerships

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And bioenergy!

Bioenergy can make lives betterAlleviate geopolitical issues

Increase food security

It requires good governance, but…

If we can make a better world with bioenergy

it is our duty to make this happen

Read the report!

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Thank you all

p.osseweijer@tudelft.nl

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