Helpful Guide to Harness the Potential of Bioenergy

"Development of bioenergy must be carefully managed, and meeting social goals like sustainable rural development, poverty alleviation and food security should be guiding principles," said Alexander Mueller, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Assistant Director-General for Natural Resources Management and Environment.

With this challenge, the agency released the Bioenergy and Food Security Criteria and Indicators (BEFSCI) Project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. Among the products generated by the project are: web-based tool for assessing potential food security impacts of bioenergy projects; comprehensive list of methodologies and indicators to assess the impacts of bioenergy on food security at the national level; set of good environmental practices to minimize negative environmental impacts; and compilation of socio-economic practices currently being implemented by producers that provide examples of how bioenergy development can foster rural development and enhance food security.

"The paper looks at the pros, cons and appropriateness of these various instruments, so that governments who are just beginning to wrestle with these issues can learn from the experiences of others," explained Heiner Thofern, who heads up the BEFSCI project at FAO.

View the news at http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/123156/icode/