Rethinking the Food-versus-Fuel Debate
An Appraisal of International Perspectives and Implications for the South African Industrial Biofuels Strategy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6803758 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Shaun Ruysenaar (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2011-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environment and Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2150-6779 • E-ISSN: 2150-6787 |
| Publisher | Berghahn Books (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.3167/ares.2011.020108 |
| OpenAlex | W2315922986 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 14 |
The global rush toward a biofueled future (and subsequent apprehension concerning unintended consequences) has met with powerful and wide-ranging critique. Bolstered by globally increasing food prices peaking in 2008, food insecurity has become a central concern when considering pursuing biofuels. Arguments in the wider literature propose a number of perspectives with which to evaluate the biofuels-food security nexus. In South Africa, however, the debate is largely configured around maize-for-ethanol and polarized between two antagonistic camps. A host of agricultural lobbies and industrial interests argue in support of biofuels while some politicians, civil society, and NGOs argue against it. Both groups draw their arguments from various domains of the food security discourse in support of their cause. This article considers the merits of these opposing arguments in relation to wider perspectives in the literature, in many cases highlighting non-holistic assumptions made by the opposing claimants. This article seeks to rekindle a waning dialogue and provide a more robust outline of the major concerns that need to be addressed when considering biofuels production from a food security perspective. Only then can South Africa expect to weigh up accurately the value of pursuing biofuels production
Agriculture · Apprehension · Biofuel · Economics · Food security · Political economy · Political science · Unintended consequences · Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development · Bioeconomy and Sustainability Development · Energy and Environment Impacts · Engineering · Law · Biotechnology · Ecology
Prioritizing Climate Change Adaptation Needs for Food Security in 2030
Poverty and Famines
Globalization and food security
Food Security in Developing Countries
Peasants versus City-Dwellers
Boundless Biofuels? Between Environmental Sustainability and Vulnerability
Agriculture and the State System
The Political Economy of Food
Big Sugar in southern Africa
The political ecology ofJatrophaplantations for biodiesel in Tamil Nadu, India
Forests, food, and fuel in the tropics
Agrofuels in the food regime
Agrofuels capitalism
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |