The Grain Farmers of Ontario have proclaimed that the food versus fuel debate should be over with the release of a new report that says farmers can serve both markets.
The study on “Effects of Biofuels and Bioproducts on the Environment, Crop and Food Prices and World Hunger” they say “should put an end to the ongoing debate of whether the grain we grow should be used for food or fuel. We can and should do both.”
As farm yields climb and investments are made in farm production in the developing world, feeding and fueling the world can even be done cost effectively. “My corn yields have increased by 35 percent since I started farming in 1975,” says Don Kenny who farms just outside of Ottawa and is the chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario. “I am confident that my land will continue to be productive and that new products and technologies will ensure my family supplies our local livestock market and the ethanol plant down the road for many years to come.”
The study found that global grain production has increased by 1.5% per year over the past 20 years, more than the 1.1% per year food demands are growing, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. “Quite frankly, it is a relief for us to learn that production of biofuels, like ethanol, here in Ontario makes such a positive contribution to our environment without any notable impact on overall food prices and the world’s ability to supply food,” says Barry Senft, CEO for Grain Farmers of Ontario.