Bioenergy an food security in developing countries perspectives

Having emerged for the first time during the energy crisis of the ’70s, the interest towards bioenergy and renewable energy sources in general has been recently increased by the global concern on climate change. Beside its contribution to the reduction of polluting emissions, the promotion of bioenergy can play an important role in the way to the achievement of energy security and also as an instrument of agricultural policy, due to its tight linkages with the rural sector. This last aspect becomes particularly relevant in developing countries, where the majority of the population (especially the poorest and the most food insecure) lives in rural areas. Given this framework, biomass production for energy purposes (in particular, energy crops cultivation to produce biofuels) can have different impacts on food security in developing countries, since it can affect in different ways all the determinants of food security. A comprehensive assessment of this phenomenon is thus required.