Bioenergy and Food Security Project

BEFS Country Activities

The links between bioenergy and food security are complex and the impacts can vary greatly from one country to another. Therefore, to learn from different experiences and supply the analytical tools with realistic and up-to-date information BEFS relies on information gathered at the local, country and global levels. In this way BEFS aims to reflect the real situation in bioenergy and food security:

• Local information enables BEFS to validate some of the assumptions made at the national or global levels. Gathering information at the local scale (e.g. through field visits and interviews) allows the poorest farmers and households, that may be affected by bioenergy investment and development, to share their experiences.
• Country (national) level information is used to assess the impacts of bioenergy at the national, subnational and household scale. 
• Global information is used to consider the impacts that international decisions such as blending targets and trade policies and market changes may have on the bioenergy and food crop situation at the country level.

BEFS works closely with governments and country project teams to assist them in identifying their national policy objectives for bioenergy. Currently, BEFS is active in the following countries:

• Peru
• Tanzania
• Thailand

These countries represent geographic regions, different levels of economic and bioenergy development and divergent food security situations. The country work not only provides context-specific policy assistance, it also contributes to unique lessons for FAO's global knowledge base. This knowledge is made available to other countries to assist the development of sound bioenergy programmes worldwide.

Other departments in FAO are using elements of the BEFS analysis to assist countries in their land use planning, agro-industry development and food security monitoring.