The “Bio-energy and Food Security (BEFS) Analytical Framework” was written to help governments evaluate the potential of bio-energy as well as assess its possible food security impacts.
The framework was developed over a three-year time frame and cites development and field tests that took place in Peru, Tanzania and Thailand.
“Our goal is to help policy-makers take informed decisions regarding whether bio-energy development is a viable option and, if so, identify policies that will maximize benefits and minimize risks,” said Heiner Thofern, who heads FAO’s Bio-energy and Food Security (BEFS) project.
The report consists of a series of step-by-step evaluations that seek to answer critical questions regarding the feasibility of bio-energy development and the impacts on food availability and household food security.
In addition, social and environmental dimensions are also considered. The paper also serves as a platform for bringing key ministries and institutions together so they can work on the same page.
The FAO believes that one important benefit of investments into the bio-energy sector is that it could spark much-needed investment in agricultural and transport infrastructure in rural areas. This would create jobs and boost household income. These benefits could lesson both poverty and food security concerns.
“FAO has been saying for years that under-investment in agriculture is a problem that seriously handicaps food production in the developing world, and that this, coupled with rural poverty, is a key driver of world hunger,” Thofern said. “Done properly and when appropriate, bio-energy development offers a chance to drive investment and jobs into areas that are literally starving for them.”
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