Bioenergy development, through its environmental and socio-economic impacts, may have positive or negative effects on food security. Once the bioenergy sector is in place, it is important to monitor, evaluate and respond to the impacts of bioenergy on food security at both national and project levels.

With regard to the national level, the BEFS Approach includes an indicator for assessing the effects of bioenergy use and domestic production on the price and supply of a national food basket . This indicator is part of a set of twenty-four sustainability indicators for bioenergy that were internationally agreed under the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP).

With regard to the project level, the BEFS Approach comprises the Operator Level Food Security Assessment Tool, which can be used to monitor the impacts on food security of agricultural operations with a bioenergy component, including a specific module on bioenergy production from residues.

In addition, the BEFS Approach includes a range of possible responses to address the impacts of bioenergy on food security at both national and project levels.

The BEFS Approach also includes a set of tools and methodologies for monitoring, in addition to food security, other environmental and socio-economic impacts of individual operations or of the bioenergy sector as a whole.