Biofuels, food security, and Africa
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6029987 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Thomas Molony (0000-0001-7336-5527), James Smith (0000-0002-0448-8774) |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 109 |
| Issue | 436 |
| Pages | 489-498 |
| Publication date | 2010-07-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | African Affairs (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0001-9909 • E-ISSN: 1468-2621 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/afraf/adq019 |
| OpenAlex | W2087940513 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 2 |
Global biofuel production tripled between 2000 and 2007 and is projected to double again by 2011.1 This growth reflects a growing interest worldwide in renewable energy alternatives to fossil fuels, especially as a perceived solution to the transport sector’s dependency on oil. It also reflects the enforcement in 2005 of the Kyoto Protocol, and the increasing implementation of national biofuels targets. As a result of these and other influences, policy makers and researchers in African countries are giving more attention to biofuels. Yet the rising demand for biofuels has sparked a debate over the threat that energy security poses to food security, and within a few short years biofuels have shifted from being seen as a multi-purpose solution to a range of problems – climate change, energy insecurity and underdevelopment – to what the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food has described as a ‘crime against humanity’.2 The threat is particularly profound for the many African countries where food security is a significant issue, and raises questions in what has become known as the ‘food-versus-fuel’ debate. This briefing discusses the relationship between biofuels and food security in Africa, and brings in related issues concerning land ownership and livelihoods. As more and more African countries devote land to the cultivation of biofuels, the numerous questions and potential conflicts that are addressed here are of crucial relevance to many vulnerable populations, environments, and states across the continent.
Agriculture · Biofuel · Biology · Business · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Energy security · Food prices · Food security · Fossil fuel · Geography · Livelihood · Natural resource economics · Renewable energy · Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development · Biotechnology · Ecology · Energy and Environment Impacts
Which Net Zero? Climate Justice and Net Zero Emissions
Rethinking Climate Change, Conflict and Security
Biofuels, food security, and Africa
The Representation of Biofuels in Political Cartoons
A vision for attaining food security
Profits versus jobs
Multifunctional evaluation and multiscenario regulation of non-grain farmlands from the grain security perspective
Contract Farming in Sub-Saharan Africa
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2010 - 2024 (15) |
| Highly cited | No |