LAND USE, LIVELIHOODS AND BIOENERGY: A FARMER PERSPECTIVE

1
LAND USE, LIVELIHOODSAND BIOENERGYA FARMER
PERSPECTIVE
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE
BIOENERGY 12-13 October 2006 ? Bonn, Germany

• Raul Q. Montemayor
• Federation of Free Farmers Cooperatives, Inc.
  (Philippines)
• International Federation of Agricultural
  Producers (IFAP)

2
Why Bioenergy?

• Finite and insecure supply, and increasing prices
  of, fossil fuels
• Need for environmentally friendly sources of
  energy to arrest climate change and environmental
  degradation

3
Why Farmers?

• Farmers are part of the problem - agriculture
  accounts for up to 20 of human-induced
  greenhouse effect
• Farmers are also victims of climate change and
  environmental problems
• Farmers are part of the solution they are the
  producers of crops and feedstock for biofuels
• Farmers can benefit as users of energy

4
Bioenergy A General Assessment

• Generally a positive development for farmers from
  welfare and environmental perspective
• But limited analysis of long-term economic,
  environmental, social and other effects and
  prospects
• Farmers cannot afford to take risks and must
  guard against overexpectations, mistaken
  assumptions, and opportunists
• Bioenergy only part of the answer to energy
  problems

5
LAND USE ISSUES

• Agro-climatic and related constraints to
  feedstock production
• Competing uses for land and other natural
  resources for food, feed and fuel
• Threats to small farm agriculture and rational
  land use
• Danger of irreversible overexploitation of land
  and natural resources

6
Oil Palm and Forest Cover in Borneo
SOURCE Jason Clay/World Wildlife Foundation
7
Biofuels and Livelihoods

• Potentials for livelihood generation and rural
  development from bioenergy
• Need to ascertain immediate and longer-term
  prospects for bioenergy
• Market restructuring and reaction to bioenergy
• How can small farmers maximize benefits from
  bioenergy?

8
CONCLUSIONS

• Plan carefully
• Minimize risks to farmers and the environment
• Maximize environmental, livelihood, developmental
  and other benefits from bioenergy