Major switch from fossil fuels to renewable sources
26 Apr '06
3 min read
FAO highlighted Brazil as an example for the rest of the world. Latin America's largest country is the world's biggest producer of bio-ethanol and 1 million Brazilian cars already run on fuel made from sugar cane, with most new cars powered by “flex fuel” engines. Introduced three years ago they use either gasoline or bioethanol, or any mix of the two.
Europe lags well behind Brazil in bio-ethanol production and consumption, but the European Union (EU) has set itself the target of increasing the share of bio-fuels in transport to 8 per cent by 2015. However, if oil prices stay high, things could move even faster, FAO noted.
Europe is already the world's largest producer of bio-diesel, now made from rapeseed, soya or sunflower seeds.
“The beauty of bio-energy is that production can be tailored to local environments and energy needs,” Mr. Best said. “Where there's land, where there's farmers, where there's interest, bio-energy may be the best option. And if we add some sound analysis and good business models, we will get that option right.”
But he stressed that FAO was focusing on the likely benefits for small farmers. One hazard is that large-scale promotion of bio-energy relying on intensive cash-crop monocultures could see the sector dominated by a few agri-energy giants, without any significant gains for small farmers.
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