BEFS Approach

The Bioenergy and Food Security (BEFS) Approach of FAO supports countries in developing evidence based policies derived from country level information and cross institutional dialogue involving relevant stakeholders. The evidence collected is the result of technical analysis that assesses the interplay between natural resource availability, bioenergy production potential, rural development and food security. During this process the risks and opportunities are identified and the tradeoffs are defined thus supporting policy makers in the decision making process.

 More specifically, the BEFS Approach consists of a multidisciplinary and integrated set of tools and guidance that can support countries throughout the following key steps of the bioenergy policy development and implementation process:  

• Establishment of an institutionalized dialogue among relevant national stakeholders  in order to identify the key issues surrounding bioenergy and food security, based on the conceptual foundation provided by the BEFS Analytical Framework;
• Assessment of the sustainable bioenergy potential, based on an assessment of land suitability and production costs, and through an analysis of the environmental and socio-economic dimensions and implications of different bioenergy development pathways, with particular emphasis on food security; 
• Risk prevention and management, through good environmental and socio-economic practices and related policy instruments; 
• Investment screening, through an assessment of the sustainability of proposed bioenergy investments/projects;
• Impact monitoring, evaluation and response  at both national and project levels; and
• Capacity building both at technical and policy level through training on the above technical tools and guidance.

The BEFS Approach helps countries design and implement sustainable bioenergy policies and strategies, by ensuring that bioenergy development fosters both food and energy security, and that it contributes to agricultural and rural development in a climate-smart way.