FAO champions sustainable bioenergy innovation at IRENA Innovation Week 2025
FAO highlights the power of bioenergy innovation to drive sustainable, inclusive agrifood systems at IRENA Innovation Week 2025.
Leaders in energy and innovation gathered in Bonn for the 2025 edition of IRENA Innovation Week. Organised by the International Renewable Energy Agency, the event focusedon the role of renewables and digitalisation in accelerating the global energy transition.
FAO contributed to the discussion, sharing insights on how energy-smart innovations, including clean cooking, can support the transformation needed to make our agrifood systems more sustainable, resilient and inclusive, leaving no one behind.
During the session “Innovative business models for bioenergy in the Global South”, organized in partnership with the World Bioenergy Association, Maria Michela Morese, FAO Senior Natural Resources Officer and Energy Team Leader, emphasized the importance of leveraging innovative sustainable bioenergy solutions to transform agrifood systems, highlighting how such innovations can support climate goals, improve livelihoods, and enhance food security.
“A radical transformation in how food is produced, processed, traded and consumed is required,” said Morese. “Sustainable bioenergy innovations in agrifood systems support climate goals, increase access to clean energy, and lead to better production, better nutrition, better environment, and a better life to rural communities.”
Innovation is at the heart of FAO’s work in supporting countries to transition to the integration of sustainable energy systems along agrifood value chains. FAO Energy Team is currently assisting over 30 countries in harnessing renewable technologies to improve energy access, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance food security.
FAO applies ex ante tools like the Bioenergy and Food Security (BEFS) Approach to help countries plan sustainable bioenergy strategies, and ex postt ools like the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) Sustainability Indicatorsto evaluate their real-world impact.Together, they ensure bioenergy contributes effectively to climate goals, food security, and rural development.
While bioenergy initiatives may not always appear cutting-edge or high-tech, their impact is tangible and lasting. From reducing emissions and improving waste management to creating new income opportunities and enhancing energy access, these solutions deliver real, sometimes life-changing benefits to local communities. FAO works closely with governments and communities to ensure solutions are adapted to local contexts and needs.
With more than 2.1 billion people still relying on traditional and polluting cooking fuels, access to clean cooking remains one of the most pressing energy challenges in rural areas. But with proper investment, a shift is possible.
In Rwanda, FAO applied the BEFS Assessment to reveal that pellets and biogas from sustainably sourced agricultural residues could increase access to clean cooking fuels by 33 percent. Similarly, in Zambia, briquettes and biogas from agricultural residues could meet 12 percent of clean cooking fuel targets, .
Open burning of agricultural residues and unmanaged waste pose serious environmental and health risks. In Vanuatu, FAO identified waste-to-energy opportunities to convert organic waste, particularly from the tourism sector, into biogas, which could reduce emissions by 500 tonnes of CO₂ per year, while addressing pollution and health risks from open waste burning.
Open waste burning could also be reduced in the Indian State of Punjab, with enormous climate and energy benefits:utilizing just 30 percent of the rice straw currently burned in fields could yield 7.1 million tonnes of biomass pellets, nearly 2 billion litres of second-generation ethanol, and 714 tonnes of compressed biogas. This would significantly reduce GHG emissions and air pollution, while creating new income streams for farmers.
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In the Solomon Islands and The Gambia, FAO is supporting the transformation of organic waste—such as pig slurry and farm residues—into clean energy through biogas systems.
These assessments not only inform national strategies, fostering innovation at country level, but also provide measurable evidence of how bioenergy innovations contribute to global sustainability goals. For instance, applying the GBEP Sustainability Indicators, FAO estimated that in Paraguay, producing ethanol from sugarcane and corn could reduce GHG emissions by up to 40 percent, while contributing to national energy security and reducing fossil fuel imports.
These examples highlight FAO’s commitment to advancing bioenergy innovations as a key pillar of sustainable agrifood systems. By supporting countries with data, tools, and policy guidance, FAO promotes bioenergy to power sustainable rural development and a fair and just energy transition, building energy-smart agrifood systems that leave no one behind.