The Effects of Bioenergy Production on Food Security

The purpose of this paper is to deliver a framework and initial application of a model-based assessment of the food security impacts of changes in bioenergy production and relevant policies on food security. In an economic framework, four pathways are established by which biofuel production potentially affects the dimensions of food security: (1) food availability in connection with the competition for arable land; (2) the contribution of biofuel use of feedstock to food price volatility; (3) biofuel markets as a source of income opportunities for farmers; (4) sector-wide contributions to macroeconomic performance and living standards. Computable general equilibrium (CGE) modeling is proposed as methodology for an encompassing empirical examination of these pathways, although the limitations of the tool and data warrant the use of complementary qualitative and quantitative analyses.