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Bioenergy—that is, biofuels of biological and renewable origin, like bioethanol, biodiesel, and biomass for energy—is the subject of increasing attention around the world. Oil prices have climbed to unprecedented heights, and concerns about the environmental effects of fossil fuel use are on the rise. Bioenergy appears to offer hope for addressing these concerns while also providing new opportunities for poor people and farmers in developing countries. Can bioenergy fulfi ll the promise claimed by its proponents? Can it become an environmentally sustainable, economically viable, pro-poor source of energy? And what challenges will meeting these goals present?

This set of policy briefs examines the potential opportunities and risks bioenergy may pose for poor people and farmers in developing countries. The briefs consider economic, social, environmental, and science and technology issues. They look at how increased bioenergy production may affect the global food balance and examine the need for further research and development in the bioenergy field. Lessons from the experiences of Europe, as well as Brazil and other developing countries, are reviewed. Recommendations on how to move forward to develop bioenergy in ways that can serve the poor and the environment are presented.

We express our warm appreciation to editors Peter Hazell and R. K. Pachauri, as well as to the contributors, for their valuable insights and perspectives on the promises and challenges of bioenergy for agriculture in developing countries. We also thank Heidi Fritschel for excellent editing and production management of these briefs.

Joachim von Braun, Director General
Rajul Pandya-Lorch, Head, 2020 Vision Initiative

Full Text of all Briefs
Individual Briefs in Focus 14:

1. Overview
   Peter Hazell and R. K. Pachauri
   (PDF 84K)
2. Developing Bioenergy: Economic and Social Issues
   Daniel G. De La Torre Ugarte
   (PDF 84K)
3. Biofuels and the Global Food Balance
   Mark W. Rosegrant, Siwa Msangi, Timothy Sulser, and Rowena Valmonte-Santos
   (PDF 87K)
4. Environmental Effects of Bioenergy
   Sivan Kartha
   (PDF 93K)
5. Potential of Carbon Payments for Bioenergy
   Odin Knudsen
   (PDF 78K)
6. Science and Technology Options for Harnessing Bioenergy's Potential
   Jeremy Woods
   (PDF 100K)
7. Bioenergy and Agricultural Research for Development
   Rodomiro Ortiz, Jonathan H. Crouch, Masa Iwanaga, Ken Sayre, Marilyn Warburton, Jose Luis Araus, John Dixon, Martin Bohn, Belum V. S. Reddy
   (PDF 94K)
8. Brazil's Experience with Bioenergy
   José Roberto Moreira
   (PDF 88K)
9. Bioenergy in Europe: Experiences and Prospects
   Oliver Henniges and Jürgen Zeddies
   (PDF 92K)
10. Bioenergy in Developing Countries: Experiences and Prospects
    Daniel M. Kammen
    (PDF 88K)
11. Bioenergy and the Poor
    Stephen Karekezi and Waeni Kithyoma
    (PDF 105K)
12. Developing Bioenergy: A Win-Win Approach That Can Serve the Poor and the Environment
    Peter Hazell
    (PDF 77K)

• The Promises and Challenges of Biofuels for the Poor in Developing Countries
  2006. Joachim von Braun and R. K. Pachauri. IFPRI 2005-2006 Annual Report Essay.
  (PDF 1.8M)

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