Programs for producing ethanol and bio-diesel are already in place based on different crops.
Biomass production for fuels requires land resources and, in many parts of the world, may have
to compete with food production. Moreover, the water footprint of biofuels is a challenge that
should not be ignored. Some tropical countries and this applies to Latin America have large
tracts of degraded lands that could benefit from the establishment of bio-energy plantations.
Planting arid, semi-arid, degraded, and marginal lands that are unsuitable for food production,
with non-edible bio-fuels crops would not compete directly with current food production and
could help rehabilitate the soil. For large agricultural areas, on a case-by case basis, a scientific,
engineering, social, economic and sustainability analysis should be conducted on the
comparative advantage of planting food or biofuel crops, especially in the face of the ongoing
global food crisis.
A shift towards cellulose-based second generation biofuels using wood and grassy crops would
offer greater reductions in carbon dioxide emissions and less land used per unit of energy.
However, technical breakthroughs would be required to achieve this.
Jorge Spitalnik, WFEO
