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Biofuel Revolution Threatens Food Security for the Poor

Countries are shifting to biofuel in response to climate change and rising oil prices. But biofuel production poses new food security risks and challenges for poor people. Higher food prices, subsidies for biofuels and environmental degradation will all be felt disproportionately by the developing world. So while developing and using biofuels is high on the global political agenda, policymakers, researchers and others must carefully assess on the consequences for the poorest of the poor.
Global ethanol fuel production-over 90 per cent of total biofuel production-more than doubled between 2000 and 2005. Global biodiesel production nearly quadrupled in the same period. This tremendous rise is already adversely affecting poor people in developing countries by increasing food prices and volatility.
Mile growth within the biofuel sector can contribute in the increase of corn and other biofuel source material, the competitiveness of the sector can be adversely affected by these very same prices changes, as well as other economic factors.
Increasing crop prices go hand in hand with decreasing availability of, and access to, food with high prices, they [poor] will likely spend less on food, exacerbating poor diets and micronutrient malnutrition.
Comprehensive international and national policy frameworks can lay the foundation for pro-poor environmentally sustainable biofuel that also achieve energy security. We need policies that accelerate agricultural productivity, helping to maintain and improve food security, and which focus more on agricultural and biofuel technologies in coordination with biofuel users. Trade and markets reforms must establish a global system for biofuel that is undistorted and operates with low transaction cost.

By Siwa MSANGI, SciDev.Net, 6 December 2007.

Vocabulary:
To shift to: se tourner vers Subsidies: des subventions To assess on: To make a careful study on Tremendous: great, terrible
Sustainable: durable.