In a paper presented
to the nineteenth session of its Committee on
Agriculture meeting here (13-16 April), FAO recalls that
around two billion people, mostly living in rural areas
of developing countries, are still without electricity
or other modern energy services.
Increased use of
bioenergy can help diversify agricultural and forestry
activities and improve food security, while contributing
to sustainable development, the paper says.
Bioenergy is produced
from biofuels (solid fuels, biogas, liquid fuels such as
bioethanol and biodiesel) which come from crops such as
sugar cane and beet, maize and energy grass or from
fuelwood, charcoal, agricultural wastes and by-products,
forestry residues, livestock manure, and others.
Biomass reduces the
import bill
Biomass is a locally
available energy source that can provide for heat and
power. It contributes to the substitution of imported
fossil fuels, thus enhancing national energy security,
reducing the import bill of petroleum products and
alleviating poverty.
FAO assists member
countries in their interest to convert biomass into
energy and set up national strategies and programmes.
"The production and use of biofuels need to be properly
managed in order to provide energy services to the rural
poor while improving food security and contributing to
sustainable development," explains FAO expert Gustavo
Best.
In sub-Saharan
Africa, where more than 90% of the rural population live
without access to electricity, bioenergy with its two
main components, wood energy and agroenergy, can have a
significant impact on improving livelihoods.
Investments and jobs
Increasing the use of
biomass for energy could lead to improved economic
development, especially in rural areas, since it
attracts investment in new business opportunities for
small- and medium-sized enterprises in the field of
biofuel production, preparation, transportation, trade
and use.
The use of biomass
for energy also generates incomes and jobs for the rural
people. "In fact, bioelectricity production has the
highest employment-creation potential among renewable
energy options. It can create several times the number
of direct jobs than the production of electricity using
conventional energy sources, and with lower investment
cost per job generated," the report says.
In developed
countries, there is growing interest on the part of
governments and the private sector in expanding the use
of biofuels derived from agricultural and forestry
biomass. Liquid biofuels have gained importance,
particularly in the
transport sector.
Scenarios for the USA
and the EU
Scenarios developed
for the USA and the EU indicate that "short-term targets
of up to a 13% displacement of petroleum-based fuels
with liquid biofuels (bioethanol and biodiesel) appear
feasible on available cropland", according to FAO.
Petroleum accounts
for over 35% of the world's total commercial primary
energy consumption. Coal ranks second with 23% and
natural gas thirs with 21%. These fossil fuels are the
main sources of greenhouse gas emissions, causing global
warming, and thus climate change, the report points out.
Biofuels, of which
fuelwood and charcoal occupy the largest share,
represent around 10% of the total global primary energy
consumption.
20 years of
experience
For this century, the
report anticipates a significant switch from a fossil
fuel to a bioenergy-based economy which could benefit
not only the rural poor but also the whole planet, since
biofuels can help mitigate climate change.
FAO has over 20 years
of experience in working on various aspects of bioenergy
development and has provided technical assistance to
member countries regarding the design and implementation
of bioenergy policies, strategies, programmes and
projects.
It plays an active
role in generating and disseminating information on
bioenergy production, trade and utilization, the paper
indicates.
The growing
importance of bioenergy could have a considerable impact
on commodity prices, sustainability at the production
points and even food security.
The paper considers
that the scale of bioenergy production and use will
require a forum such as FAO, with its interdisciplinary
expertise in the different areas of agriculture,
forestry and economics, to facilitate international
cooperation.
Based on the above,
the paper says that the topic should be given more focus
and visibility, and suggests technical and institutional
approaches to realize this.
