Biofuels research in the CGIAR - A perspective from the Science Council

May 2008

Government policies, motivated by concerns about energy security, high oil prices, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and various vested interests, are driving the latest expansion in the global biofuels industry. This is most evident in Brazil, the USA and the EU, but increasingly, developing countries are moving in a similar direction – creating new markets for biofuels by adopting policies, mandates and targets aimed at stimulating domestic biofuels production.
In response to policies being adopted or about to be adopted, the (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) CGIAR must (i) draw attention to the critical issues surrounding biofuels, food security and the environment, highlighting the likely consequences (positive and negative) likely to emerge from different biofuels policies and, (ii) target research that addresses the new challenges emerging from biofuels expansion, such as the need for ecological intensification of dominant crop and livestock based systems, keeping a tight focus on food security and environmental health goals consistent with the CGIAR mandate. Many of the CGIAR centres have already initiated technology oriented biofuels related research, e.g., on sweet sorghum, jatropha, cassava, etc., but questions remain about the priority of this work and what trade-offs are implicit, particularly if they support ill-advised government policies for expanding domestic biofuels production without having undertaken the required economic, social and environmental analyses.
The Science Council of the CGIAR is proposing a system-wide strategy to address the biofuels challenge as it relates to food security and the environment. It recognizes opportunities associated with this development, but also identifies risks.
This brief note constitutes a first step in developing a coherent and unified strategy.

By: CGIAR Science Council Secretariat

 
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