Second FAO Technical Consultation on
Bioenergy and Food Security
5-6 February 2008
Rome
The second FAO Bioenergy and Food Security (BEFS) technical consultation held its last round of discussions on 5-6 February 2008 to peer review and finalize the BEFS framework that assesses the bioenergy development and food security nexus. The bioenergy policy objectives of BEFS partner countries have shown the strong emphasis they place on rural development, poverty alleviation and food security in developing sustainable bioenergy.
The Summary Proceedings document provides an overview of the consultation, discussion and recommendations. Please contact the BEFS-Project@fao.org for further information.
The experts noted the intense pressure for international organizations to respond quickly to country requests for technical and policy assistance and to facilitate broadly-based consultative processes that provide perspective and guidance on the sustainable development of bioenergy. The principle of "do-no-harm" should be a guiding principle for all countries with respect to environmental, social and economic matters. The experts welcomed the initiatives by FAO and its partners to develop validated tools, methods, data and information to assist countries in responding to the challenges and opportunities of sustainable bioenergy development. The experts also: - Endorsed the comprehensive BEFS analytical framework to assess impacts of different types of bioenergy on food security and called for it to be rapidly deployed in countries.
- Agreed that the framework should be complemented with environmental and social considerations, including soil, water, biodiversity, and greenhouse gas balances. Qualitative assessments related to rural energy use, rural institutions, policies, nutrition, cultural habits and gender-differentiated analysis should also be addressed.
- Recognized that greenhouse gas balance assessments would be essential for countries wishing to export biofuels and that efforts to harmonize methods to calculate greenhouse gas balances should be accelerated.
- Underlined the need for bioenergy development to be tailored to country-specific conditions, agricultural systems, cropping traditions, local knowledge and rural livelihoods.
- Called for careful assessment of opportunities and risks, particularly in regard to large-scale investments, and to reflect these in policy decisions that influence investment decisions.
- Agreed that a Global Bioenergy Charter could facilitate the adoption of safeguards, accountability and fair processes needed for sustainable bioenergy development and called for food security and rural development concerns to be integral parts of such a Charter.
- The experts requested that the above outcome of the BEFS consultation be brought to the attention of the High-level Conference on Global Food Security and the Challenges of Climate Change and Food Security which will take place in Rome, Italy from 3-5 June 2008.
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