Bioenergy is the subject of increasing attention around the world. It appears to offer hope for environment-friendly energy that would also be a boon to the world’s farmers. Can bioenergy fulfill the promise claimed by its proponents? Can it become an environmentally sustainable, economically viable, pro-poor source of energy? What challenges will meeting these goals present? How will increased bioenergy production affect the global food balance? What are the opportunities and risks that development of bioenergy poses for agriculture around the world, particularly poor farmers in developing countries?

Peter Hazell is visiting professor at Imperial College London; Siwa Msangi is research fellow in the Environment and Production Technology Division at IFPRI; Christopher Flavin is president of Worldwatch Institute; Jake Caldwell is director of policy for the Resources for Global Growth program at the Center for American Progress; and Joachim von Braun is Director General of IFPRI.