Agricultural producers can use energy more efficiently as well as reduce their dependency on non-renewable energy sources. Well-planned agricultural systems can also produce energy sustainably without compromising food security thus contributing to the transition to climate-smart agriculture. This can only happen if existing examples of energy-smart food systems can be scaled up significantly.
A safe integration of food and energy production may be one of the best ways to improve national food and energy security through Integrated Food Energy Systems (IFES). Integrated energy production can reduce poverty in a climate smart way.
Synergies between energy-smart and climate-smart agricultural practices can be created through resource-efficient farming practices that reduce pressures on land use change. Such practices also reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and lessen the reliance on fossil fuels enhancing the productivity and resilience of agro-ecosystems.
The relationship between bioenergy development, sustainability and food security, can be explained through FAO’s Bioenergy and Food Security (BEFS) Approach.