A new article published in the journal of Global Change Biology – Bioenergy, argues that “good science is essential to inform decisions” and that the simplistic global analyses used in some studies “obscure the main drivers of local food insecurity and ignore opportunities for bioenergy to contribute to solutions.” “Reconciling Food Security and Bioenergy: Priorities for Action,” challenges previous studies that blame biofuels for food insecurity for relying on “faulty”, “questionable” and “subjective” assumptions to reach their conclusions.

“For several years there has been a troubling amount of misinformation surrounding the impacts of global biofuels production,” said Bliss Baker, president of the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA). “When done right, biofuels production promotes price stability, incentivizes investments in infrastructure where it is most needed and improves sustainability of non-biofuels crops.”

The report cites that best practices for the development of effective bioenergy policies have been published in papers by UNCTAD, FAO, and by FAO, IFAD and the WFP. In their conclusions, the authors of the report recommend policies for the increased production of flex-crops, promotion of stable prices and investment to build capacity and infrastructure to maximize the local benefits biofuels production.

“It is clear that biofuels are a key part of the global agricultural complex. The proper development of biofuels internationally will not only help to reduce global hunger but will also have a significant role to play in achieving the emission reduction targets established in the Paris Agreement reached at COP 21,” Baker concluded.