Bioenergy- Large Scale Agriculture Investments in Africa – Food

Security: Emerging Perspectives.

Ruhiza Boroto

Senior Water Resources Officer

FAO Regional Office for Africa

Africa context

• On going large scale land acquisition for agriculture, including for biofuels

• How can this be reconciled with the need for food security?

• What is can be done about it?

Questions to be addressed (partially or implicitly)

1. What are the opportunities and risks for growing of ‘non-food’ bioenergy crops as integral components of land-use systems in SSA?

2. How must multi-functional land-use systems be designed in order to promote food and energy security as well as rural development?

3. What might be the benefits and synergies of ‘non-food’ bioenergy crops in agricultural land-use systems for other sectors?

Media portrayal of Large Scale

Agriculture Investments (courtesy of IWMI)

• From 2000-2012, a total area of approximately 3.4

million hectares has been acquired across Africa.

• Of this total, 26% was acquired for growing food crops; 68% for biofuels, 3% for cotton and 3% for livestock.

• Twenty-seven percent (27% ) of the land was acquired for the production of water demanding crops (e.g. rice and sugarcane). Yet water is largely ignored in many of the FDI contracts reviewed.

• Only 5% is actually being exploited.

Results of a study commissioned

by AMCOW

Potential positive benefitsto host countries

• Increased agricultural productivity leading to improved national food security and rural household incomes.

• Infusion of capital, technology and know-how.

• Increased employment.

• Improved social amenities.

• Ten countries account for 70% of the LSLAs in SSA• Area acquired in each of these countries > 100,000 ha (courtesy of IWMI)

Note: from a recent study by the UNU-INRA (2015) the highest price paid for land was in Zambia. Yet it is 4 times cheaper than in Brazil

Percentage distribution of total area of LSIAL

in SSA by country, 2000-12

15%

11%

9%

6%5%4%

50%

Ethiopia

Mozambique

Tanzania

Ghana

Mali

Zambia

Others

(15%)

(11%)

(9%)

(6%)

(5%)

(4%)

(50%)

Area of LSIA under different

production activities by country, 2000-2012

0

39500

100000

10000

143766

120000

209369

46220

116534

83513

60190

153243

52197

2432

85414

247337

0 0 0 0 0 0

94100

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

Are

as

Countries

Biofuel

Food crop

Livestock

The next part of the focuses on bioenergy!

FAO’s Approach to

Bioenergy and Food Security

(BEFS)

FAO’s BEFS Approach: mission

The BEFS Approach helps countries designand implement sustainable bioenergypolicies and strategies, by ensuring that bioenergy development:

→ contributes to agricultural and rural development in a climate-smart way, and

→ fosters both food and energy security

Food Security….exists when all people, at all times, have physical and

economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

1996 World Food Summit held in Rome

the 4 dimensions of food security:

AVAILABILITY - Physical AVAILABILITY of food

ACCESS - Economic and physical ACCESS to food

UTILIZATION - Food UTILIZATION

STABILITY - STABILITY of the dimensions

Bioenergy Pathways:from feedstock to final energy use

The Bioenergy and Food Security (BEFS) Approach

Impact Monitoring,

Evaluation and Response

Support toPolicy

Formulation

Sustainable Bioenergy

AssessmentScoping

Risk Prevention, Management and Investment Screening

Stakeholder Dialogue and Capacity Building

BEFS Sustainable Bioenergy Assessment

• Country specific evidence to inform policy formulation

• The assessment is based on the BEFS AF

• It can be carried out at two levels:

– BEFS Rapid Appraisal

– BEFS Detailed Analysis

The Bioenergy and Food Security (BEFS) Approach

Impact Monitoring,

Evaluation and Response

Support toPolicy

Formulation

Sustainable Bioenergy

AssessmentScoping

Risk Prevention, Management and Investment Screening

Stakeholder Dialogue and Capacity Building

BEFS Rapid Appraisal

Where has BEFS been applied

1. Examples include:1. Tanzania2. Malawi3. Sierra Leone -4. Cote d’Ivoire – just started5. Philippines

• Agriculture has been identified as the potential engine of growth (National Strategy for Growth and the Reduction of Poverty (NSGRP)).

• Agriculture: 26 percent of GDP, 80 percent of the population (GoT, 2010)

• Poverty: 33.4 % (WDI, 2007)• Undernourished: 38.8 % (SOFI

2012)• Food security staples: Maize and

Cassava

• Potential bioenergy feedstock: sugar cane, molasses, sweet sorghum, cassava, palm oil, sunflower, jatropha, agriculture residues, livestock residues, woody residues

An Example: TanzaniaWhich specific food crops do I need to be concerned of?

Ranking CommodityCalorie

Share (%)

1 Maize 33.4

2 Cassava 15.2

3Rice (Milled Equivalent)

7.9

4 Wheat 4.0

5 Sorghum 4.0

6 Sweet Potatoes 3.3

7Sugar (Raw Equivalent)

3.3

8 Palm Oil 3.0

9 Beans 2.9

10Beverages, Fermented

2.7

11Milk – Excluding Butter

2.2

12 Bovine Meat 1.8

13 Pulses, Other 1.7

14 Plantains 1.5

15 Millet 1.4

Subtotal share for selected items

88.5

Total Calories per capita 1959

Data source: FAOSTAT

Questions implicitly or partially addressed

1. What are the opportunities and risks for growing of ‘non-food’ bioenergy crops as integral components of land-use systems in SSA?

1. Job creations/ income generation2. Diversification of source of food (through increased buying power)3. Additional energy available for economic activities4. Opaque land acquisition transactions5. Impact on vulnerable livelihoods6. Impact on ecosystems

Questions implicitly or partially addressed

2. How must multi-functional land-use systems be designed in order to promote food and energy security as well as rural development?

1. Consider impact on other natural resources (such as water)

2. Consider ecosystems services in general

3. Consider benefits/losses for affected folks with regard to their livelihoods ( with the risks of: loss of productive land, unfair compensation,)

Questions implicitly or partially addressed

3. What might be the benefits and synergies of ‘non-food’ bioenergy crops in agricultural land-use systems for other sectors?

1. Improved quality of life through availability of energy 2. High income generation which would boost other sectors

(health, education, housing and business in general)3. Opportunity for Integrated Landscapes4. Production of clean energy for other sectors5. Diversification of sources of energy - to alleviate current power

shortages – by feeding into the scheme6. Can marginal lands be used for some bioenergy crops?

Smallholders, land tenure and agriculture water management (AWM)

6/17/2015 22IFAD, Rome, 11 December 2014

Source: HLPE on Food Security and Nutrition: Investing in Smallholder Agriculture for Food Security (June 2013)

Security of land tenure influences agriculture water management practices :

Secured tenure: incentive for good AWMInsecure tenure: no motivation for good AWM (or land management)

Diversification of income – food and income generating crops

6/17/2015 IFAD, Rome, 11 December 2014 23

People centered, capacity building, role of women and the youth!

6/17/2015 IFAD, Rome, 11 December 2014 24

THANK YOU!