Biofuels and Food Security (eBook)

Examining the relationship between biofuels and food security, this book presents an economic analysis of the competition between biofuels and food. It covers the historical and current situation of biofuels and food security in Brazil, China, Japan, USA, EU, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and other countries. Furthermore it demonstrates that not only feedstock of agricultural product-based biofuels, but also cellulose-based biofuels can compete with food-related demand and agricultural resources. The issue of whether this competition is good or bad for food security is explored, and this topic is examined at global, national, sub-national and household levels.

In order to deal with energy security, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to strengthen agricultural/rural development, biofuel production and utilization is increasing all over the world. One of the most crucial problems is the competition for resources between biofuel and food. This biofuel and food security discussion is expected to continue into the future, and this book proposes the action that is needed to deal with this issue on various levels.

Biofuel and Food Security provides a valuable resource to undergraduates and researchers of economics, agricultural economics and renewable science, and also policy makers involved in government or international organizations. It will additionally be of interest to those employed in renewable energy and agriculture in an industrial capacity.

Prof Tatsuji Koizumi's research focuses on examining the relationship between biofuel and food security issues, and he has considerable experience in this area. He built and developed economic models to examine the world's future food availability, vulnerability of food supply, and malnutrition situations at the Economic Research Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (ERS-USDA), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Ministry of Agriculture, the Forestry and Fisheries, Japan (MAFF, Japan) and the Policy Research Institute, MAFF, Japan (PRIMAFF, Japan). Whilst working at the FAO as an economist, he also developed the world's first economic model that linked agriculture and energy markets; this model examines how a biofuel program can affect world food markets and food availability. Prof Koizumi has authored 10 book chapters, published in 30 different academic journals and written 98 reports on biofuel and food security. As a biofuel and food security expert, he has attended many highly relevant international conferences/meetings.