A compilation of tools and methodologies to assess the sustainability of modern bioenergy

Mar 2012

The FAO’s Bioenergy and Food Security Criteria and Indicators (BEFSCI) project has compiled a set of thirty relevant tools and methodologies that can be used to inform the development of a sustainable bioenergy sector and of sustainable operations, and to assess, both  ex-ante and  ex-post, the main environmental and socio-economic impacts arising from individual operations or from the bioenergy sector as a whole.
Modern bioenergy development, through its environmental and socio-economic impacts, may have positive or negative effects (both direct and indirect) on the four dimensions of food security: availability, access, utilization and stability. Both the nature and magnitude of the impacts of modern bioenergy development on food security will depend on a number of factors, related mainly to the type of feedstock and bioenergy technology considered, the way production is managed, and the environmental, socio-economic and policy context in which such development takes place.
Some of the impacts (both positive and negative) of bioenergy production on food security may arise from - and be attributed to - specific bioenergy projects and operations. Most of these impacts will be localized in and around bioenergy production areas. Other impacts of bioenergy production on food security will be the result of the cumulative effects of the domestic bioenergy sector. These impacts, which may not be attributed to specific bioenergy projects and operations, will have macro-level implications, some of which will have repercussions on local food security as well.
A third category entails the local-level impacts attributable to specific bioenergy projects and operations, which may also trigger impacts at larger scales.
In order to ensure that modern bioenergy development is environmentally and socially sustainable and that it fosters rural development and food security, the aforementioned impacts need to be assessed at both national and operator levels by the relevant stakeholders, during both planning and monitoring phases.
The thirty tools and methodologies that BEFSCI has compiled can be used to conduct these impact assessments, as well as to inform the development of sustainable bioenergy policies, strategies and investments.
These science-based tools and methodologies, which can be used by governments, operators and any other interested stakeholders, were selected based on their relevance (especially in terms of applicability to bioenergy), practicality and replicability.
For each of the aforementioned environmental and socio-economic dimensions, an introductory text about its relevance for food security and how it may be impacted by modern bioenergy development is included. For each tool and methodology listed under these dimensions, a description is provided,
followed by an example of its application. In the selection of these examples, priority was given to applications in the context of bioenergy and, secondarily, in the agricultural and energy sectors.

By: E. Beall, P. Cadoni, A. Rossi (FAO)

 
download this document:   2218 kb
home