The biofuels era has arrived. More and more countries are now joining the world bandwagon in the search for sustainable sources of energy. In the Philippines, a lot of farmers are shifting to biofuel crops for supposedly higher income. Income per hectare of biofuel crops is said to be better than a hectare of food crops like corn and rice, but authorities have yet to come up with a more reliable estimate on this. Be that as it may, the farming sector is showing so much excitement about biofuel crops like Jatropha, sweet sorghum, sugarcane and cassava.
While farmers are in an eager state, development advocates are not – and for valid reasons. If conversion of food production lands into biofuel plantations continues, food security would be jeopardized. Right now, food self-sufficiency issues crop up across the globe. If food areas are reduced in favor of biofuels, more people around the world would go hungry. A balancing act on biofuels and food must therefore be on top of every country’s policy agenda. In some countries, advocates are pushing for limiting the conversion of agricultural food lands. Still, others are advocating for non-competition of biofuel and food crops by limiting the former in non-agricultural, sloping and marginal lands.
The development community plays a significant role in helping pull off their balancing act through information, education and communication on the economics of biofuels and through sustainable development interventions / assistance.
No comments:
Post a Comment