Balancing Food Security and Biofuel Production in the Region
The use of renewable sources to support iofuel
production offers an opportunity to expand the energy matrix and
safeguard energy security. Yet, if planned poorly and without
contextualizing production to specific country potential and needs,
the use of crops for energy production may negatively impact food
security.
Against this background,
the OAS-SEDI Department of Sustainable Development partnered with the Food and Agricultural Organization
of the United Nations (FAO) to support its work in promoting the
development of biofuels in the Americas, as part of the activities
of the
US-Brazil agreement currently under
implementation. With this aim, training was delivered in six
countries of the region on an innovative tool developed by FAO to
analyze biofuel potential in a country – the
Bioenergy and Food Security Rapid Appraisal (BEFS RA).
From August 4 to 22, a total of 135 participants from
different government agencies, academia and the private sector participated in a series
of trainings offered by experts from FAO and the OAS-SEDI in
Jamaica, Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and the Dominican
Republic. The workshops raised awareness on the importance of making
a conscious assessment of bioenergy potential and food security to
successfully develop a biofuel industry and to design and implement
related policies, while providing initial training on the
implementation of the BEFS RA tool.
The BEFS Rapid Appraisal covers the whole biofuel
supply chain from feedstock production to the processing plant. The
assessment is intended to guide the country in selecting the more
environmental, technical and socio-economically viable solution for
the production of biofuels, while taking into consideration the country’s
energy, agriculture and food security context.
“The links between bioenergy and food security are
complex and multi-faceted, which makes sustainable bioenergy
development even more challenging when trying to capture its
potential benefits on rural development, climate and energy
security” explained FAO Agroforestry Specialist Roger Fankap,
reiterating the importance of understanding the links between
bioenergy and food security to ensure that it contributes to
sustainable development.
In Jamaica, Permanent Secretary of
the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hillary
Alexander, noted that the workshop “represents an
important step in realizing the intent of the successful partnership
of the OAS, Brazil, U.S., FAO and Jamaica through the Ministry – the
reasoned, well researched and sustainable development of biofuels in
Jamaica." Permanent Secretary Alexander highlighted that
the country has made some strides through recent mandates and a draft biofuels policy and that it is exploring ways to develop sustainable
bioenergy both for transport fuel and electricity generation.
In Haiti, the Minister of Energy and Security,
Rene Jean-Jumeau acknowledged that “Haiti is a country with limited
energy resources and we recognize the need for accurate analysis of
bioenergy crop production while respecting the food security of the
country.” The Minister further expressed the “need to consider
implementing legislation to promote the blending of biofuels with
gasoline to meet the fuel needs in the transportation sector within
the country.”
In the case of El Salvador, the National Energy
Commission’s Executive Secretary, Luis Reyes, stated that “the BEFS
RA tool would be very important as the country explores the
development of a legislation that requires gas sellers to mix ethanol with
gasoline as it would help planning the implementation of the law”.
Similar remarks were made in all participating
countries, highlighting the need to gather appropriate data to run
the BEFS Rapid Appraisal model in order to make country-specific assessments as the
region pushes forward on biofuel production. The on-site
demonstration, training and transfer of the BEF RA tool completed in
the workshops is an important milestone towards increasing awareness
and understanding of data needs to inform sound policy decisions
that will promote clean energy while preserving food security in the
region.
The OAS-SEDI partnership
with the US and Brazil on biofuels development has been impactful,
supporting progress on related legislation and reaching concrete
results such as the recent inauguration of the
First Pilot Ethanol Plant in Honduras. As part of
these activities, the training series with FAO provides yet another
example of the value of strong regional cooperation and partnerships
as a central element of the Organization’s work in the area of
development.
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