Abstract—Over the last few years, bioenergy production has undergone a process of rapid development, causing significant impacts on the global food system. Among other things, the resulting increase in demand for agricultural products has had important implications for food security. The alleged causal link between bioenergy production and food security has been the subject of increasing debate. Given the complex nature of bioenergy, debates on the matter often lack a solid scientific basis. The endurance of such debates raises the need for more informed and systematic attention to this issue. The present paper identifies some of the main players in this debate and their arguments in favor or against the expansion of biofuel industries. A case study of the Brazilian experience with biofuels will clarify the validity of arguments on both sides of the debate and the potential applicability of the Brazilian biofuel model worldwide.
Index Terms—Bioenergy, biofuels, food security, sustainability.
Paulo C. Manduca, Mauro D. Berni, Rubens Lamparelli, Klaus G. Dalgaard, Luiz A. B. Cortez, and Juan A. Ayarza are with the Interdisciplinary Center for Energy Planning, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), São Paulo, Brazil (e-mail: manduca@unicamp.br).
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Cite:Paulo C. Manduca, Mauro D. Berni, Rubens Lamparelli, Klaus G. Dalgaard, Luis A. B. Cortez, and Juan A. Ayarza, "A Contribution to the Debate on Reconciling Bioenergy for Biofuels and Food Security," Journal of Clean Energy Technologies vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 123-127, 2015.
