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December, 2007
Read
SciDev.Net's new spotlight
on biofuel R&D:
www.scidev.net/biofuels
Biofuels
are described by some as 'absolutely catastrophic' because of
their potential consequences — for example, raising the cost of
food or diverting agricultural land to energy production — but
are seen by others as 'the driving force for development in some
of the world's poorest regions'.
SciDev.Net
picks a path between doomsayers and utopians, and looks at the
reality of biofuels research and development in the developing
world.
-
William
Dar, director general of the International Crops Research
Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), addresses the
lack of
research
on the yields of biofuel crops,
such as jatropha, and the uncertainty this brings energy
economies and their farmers.
-
Maureen.
R. Wilson, chemist/laboratory manager at the Sugar Industry
Research Institute in Jamaica, argues that
biofuels
are a lifeline for sugar-producing countries
hit by the European Union's 2006 sugar reforms, and focuses
on improving technology to produce ethanol from crop
residues.
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Siwa
Msangi, research fellow at the International Food Policy
Research Institute (IFPRI), demands
strong
international policies
to stop the biofuel revolution threatening food security for
the poor.
-
S.
Arungu-Olende, secretary-general of the African Academy of
Sciences, calls for
'massive
investment' in energy resource development
and use, and the putting in place of mechanisms for capacity
building in the energy sector.
In an
accompanying
editorial,
I suggest that, despite the many promises of biofuels, the
potential severity of their side-effects means we should proceed
with caution. It also means that more research is needed to
enable us to take sound evidence-based decisions on biofuels
policy, and avoid a reckless leap of faith.
Finally two of our freelance correspondents describe how
biofuels research projects are developing on the ground. Carla
Almeida highlights
Brazil's
biofuel success
and the country's need to develop new applications of ethanol.
Kimani Chege explores what is being done to
harness
Africa's vast biomass resources
and the research needed to achieve better yielding biofuel crops
and more efficient fuels.
We have also collated SciDev.Net's coverage of
relevant news
and created a collection of links to
key background
documents
and
organisations.
Kind
regards,
David Dickson
Director, SciDev.Net |
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