ZEF initiates new research on bioenergy

Bonn, January 2014. ZEF initiated a new research project on bioenergy and food security. It is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). This research project is conducting studies on bioenergy, bioeconomy and food security to generate evidence-based policy advice on the nexus of energy, food, water and land at global and national levels.

Background
Sustainable development will strongly depend on secure and safe availability of food, water, energy, (called nexus) and industrial raw materials, which are increasingly to be based on renewable resources. Here, the need is to make better use of biomass with new technologies, i.e. a leapfrogging into a knowledge-based bioeconomy for wide-scale application of bioenergy innovations in diversifying the global energy balance, mitigating the climate change and speeding up the transition from polluting fossil-based economy to a cleaner and more efficient alternatives.

Bio-economic competitiveness
Long-term price expectations determine the competitiveness of the bioeconomy and its various sectors. Markets are sending clear signals about the increasing competitiveness and demand for outputs of bio-economic production. For instance, food prices have been on the rise in the past decade. Prices of raw materials are also increasing, driving the prices for energy and food higher, with subsequent “domino effects” on rising land and water prices.

Connected food and energy prices
A parallel and connected development, increasing energy use in agriculture and emergence of biofuels in the past decade, has closely tied together food and energy prices. Bioeconomy is also characterized by complex externalities – both positive and negative which should be fully considered. In this rapidly evolving context, the fundamental challenge is to frame the reliance on biomass without undermining the long-term productivity of agriculture and other ecosystems, and also through providing opportunities for achieving win–win outcomes in terms of economic development, energy security and food security for the poor.

Science-based policy support
The main objective of this project is to provide evidence-based analytical support for national and international policies promoting technological and institutional innovations in the bio-economy, especially in developing countries. The project will conduct NEXUS research activities at two levels: global and local in case study countries.

Research activities
Sustainable development will strongly depend on secure and safe availability of food, water, energy, (called nexus) and industrial raw materials, which are increasingly to be based on renewable resources. Here, the need is to make better use of biomass with new technologies, i.e. a leapfrogging into a knowledge-based bioeconomy for wide-scale application of bioenergy innovations in diversifying the global energy balance, mitigating the climate change and speeding up the transition from polluting fossil-based economy to a cleaner and more efficient alternatives.

Read also the article in <link fileadmin webfiles downloads news zef_news_29_2014 zef_news_29_englisch_mirzabaev.pdf download file>ZEF news no. 29.

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