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Versión Español | August 2014

SEDI News

Balancing Food Security and Biofuel Production in the Region

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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