FAO has been carrying out significant work on the links between food security and bioenergy development. The most important recent initiative is the Bioenergy and Food Security Project (BEFS). The BEFS project was launched in January 2007, to mainstream food security concerns into assessments of bioenergy potential. Analysis and field activities will be targeted to support sustainable rural development and food security initiatives. The project is currently working in three countries - Peru, Tanzania and Thailand.
Building on the findings of BEFS, the Bioenergy and Food Security Criteria and Indicators (BEFSCI) project aims to develop detailed principles, criteria and indicators on sustainable bioenergy production that safeguards food security. A first draft of these principles, criteria and indicators will be discussed at two technical consultations that will take place at FAO Headquarters in Rome in November 2009 and in early 2010. These will then be validated through international multi-stakeholder consultations, and subsequently field-tested.
FAO with support from the Italian Government is currently hosting the Secretariat of the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) launched in 2006 to support the development of renewable energy. GBEP brings together public, private and civil society stakeholders in a joint commitment to promote bioenergy for sustainable development. Building its activities upon three strategic areas: sustainable development, climate change, food and energy security.
